


To Catch a Ghost

by Scribblez09



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-07 12:16:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 68,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19084846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scribblez09/pseuds/Scribblez09
Summary: The year is 1918; Jack and Maddie continue with their old lifestyle of ranching while the West is more or less civilized. When a new threat arises and spreads into Mexico, the Marstons find themselves caught up in an adventure that soon proves to be more than they bargained for. Sequel to To Tame the Wild.





	1. A Dying Breed

Maddie threw back the shot of whiskey and set the empty glass back down on the counter with a heavy sigh. She spun the glass around in her right hand and looked about the Blackwater saloon underneath the brim of her black Stetson; she frowned as she saw the usual saloon dwellers taking up the tables and chairs. Near to where she stood at the bar, the blackjack table was well under way with a game; outside on the patio, another game of poker commenced. Prostitutes mingled about like vultures, eying every man hungrily. Almost every single man in the large room wore clean, expensive suits, whereas Maddie was dressed in her weathered bounty hunting outfit. Her Henry repeater was slung across her back, and her trusty semi-automatic pistols hung at her sides. An occasional cigar was seen spewing out smoke and sitting nestled between the fingers of the townsfolk who’d moved from other larger cities—New York City and San Francisco, for starters—to live in the ever-growing town of Blackwater. Within the last four years, the town had doubled, making it impossible to ignore or refuse the changes that had befallen the land. From beneath her hat, Maddie scowled at them all and shook her head, feeling like a relic in their presence and getting angrier because of it.

Maddie turned back to the counter and stared down at her empty shot glass in her hand. Again, she sighed and shook her head. Disappointment in the day’s events led her to this godforsaken place, and with the measly amount of cash she’d received and pocketed from Archer Fordham not but twenty minutes ago, it was all she could do to not spend it all on liquor. _A lousy fifty bucks isn’t even worth it_ , _even if I went down to Thieves Landing to get that lousy goddamned horse thief._ She snorted through her nose. _He wasn’t even that hard to find and subdue, anyways. My God, it’s like he didn’t even think to be on the look-out._

She looked up from her brooding as the bartender came over to her. He held up the bottle of whiskey with a knowing grin.

“Need another, Maddie?”

She nodded and pushed the shot glass forward with a flick of her hand. She watched the golden liquid pour from its bottle to her glass, and she threw it back once it was to the brim. The whiskey fell down her throat and splashed into her stomach with a pleasant after-burn. She sighed as she took off her hat, set it on the counter on its crown, and ran a hand through her dark-brown hair that settled just above her backside.

“Bounty hunting business ain’t servin’ you too well, I take it?”

Maddie shook her head as she grabbed her hat and put it back on. “Yeah, and apparently nobody ‘round here knows how to pull off a damn crime. The kid I brought in tonight must’ve been more than sixteen and stole his first couple horses. I swear, if this town’s police force keeps crackin’ down on crime, I’ll be out of a job.” Realization dawned on her, and with widening eyes and a dampening spirit, she bowed her head and leaned heavily on her elbows on the countertop. “There will be no more need for me.”

“They’re just doin’ their job, miss,” the bartender said as he refilled her glass. “Archer Fordham’s been runnin’ this law enforcement better than your uncle could’ve dreamed of doin’, no offense. He’s changed it a lot, and faith is bein’ restored in the law. Hell, I’m surprised you or Jack hasn’t taken that offer of Archer’s. Then again, it’s not like you and him are hurtin’ for money, with that big ranch of yours.”

Maddie picked up the shot and held it before her, studying the way the light was caught and reflected in the liquor. “That’s true, I suppose. We do have it great out there.” She swallowed the shot and chuckled afterwards. “But if you’re referring to Jack and I joinin’ the police force, you’ve got another thing comin’. That job’s outta the question with Jack; he’d tell you to fuck off the second you asked him.”

“And what about you? Would you ever take up on Fordham’s offer? You know he’s just _dyin’_ to have you a part of his force, miss. You’d be _perfect_ for the job, and like you said, bounty hunting’s a dyin’ career, so why not take it?”

“And deal with drunks and snobs every night?” she asked, gesturing to the crowd around them with a wave of her hand. “I don’t think so. I may be aptly eligible for the job, but I’m not takin’ it. My family’s had a bad history with workin’ for the law, or have you forgotten that?”

The older man bowed his head, not wanting to stir her up further. “Speakin’ of Jack, how’s he doin’? Haven’t seen him in town for quite some time. He doin’ okay?”

Maddie nodded. “He’s been busy breakin’ Cloud, that sassy little filly Féileacán and Sundance had three years ago. Got the best of both parents. She’s a gorgeous little thing. You should stop by and see her, Charlie: she’s been givin’ me and Jack a run for our money, I tell you what.”

“I would, if this saloon wasn’t so damn busy all the time. Hell, you know this town keeps growin’ every day. Just the other day, I was talkin’ to a guy who said he and his family were all the way from New York.”

Maddie’s eyes widened. “The hell they doin’ out here?”

“What do you _think_ they’re doin’ out here? People from all over America are just flockin’ out to the country to settle it down.”

Sadness and anger darkened her countenance; she glared down at the shot glass. “Yeah, that’s what’s pissin’ me off.” Her hard gaze wandered the room. “All these rich bastards comin’ down here thinkin’ they can just take over. It’s the rape of the West, mister, and it just sickens me. It was a pain in the ass tryin’ to cut across land to get to Thieves Landing this morning to get that kid. You should’ve seen all the barbed wire fences, Charlie.”

“I can believe it, miss. It’s hard findin’ any land around here that hasn’t been touched by it. You still have your cattle out by your place, don’t you?”

She nodded. “They’re mostly out to pasture nowadays, but we still drive ‘em home at night. There’s no more room for free grazing anymore.” She scoffed and shook her head. “Jack and I, we’re a dyin’ breed, with our ranch and way of life.”

“So is that what’s got you hot and bothered under the collar? You seem so bitter nowadays.”

The sadness and yearning swelled within her and extended outwards to engulf her face in sorrow and nostalgia. She rested her chin in her left hand and propped her elbow on the counter. “I just miss the old days, Charlie. I miss the freedom and the space. I miss bein’ able to ride around anywhere and go after bounty hunts that were worth my time and skill. Nowadays, there’s barbed wire fences every which way you look, and this town’s gettin’ bigger and fuller with rich lawyers and stock brokers and the like while us farmers and ranchers are startin’ to feel the changes. Hell, Armadillo is gettin’ a lot smaller, now that I think about it. Before ya know it, it’ll be a ghost town like Tumbleweed. I feel like that’s what’s gonna happen to me. I’ll just dry up and be gone with the wind, forgotten with the sands of time.” She picked up the glass and turned it around and around in her free hand. “Things have changed, that’s for sure. The bounties I’ve gone after haven’t been more than fifty dollars, and it’s hardly worth my time and energy to go after them anymore. But what other choice do I have, Charlie? I’m helpin’ Archer to keep this land free of crooks and bandits and the like, but I just don’t think it’s enough. I just want some adventure in my life, a chance to go back to the way it was…just one last hurrah before everything changes for good. Is that too much to ask?”

“We all figured this was gonna happen,” Charlie responded as he leaned his forearms on the counter. “Time changes things, even the way we live and the times we live in. It’s only a matter of time before them contraptions…them _automobiles_ take the place of horses.”

Maddie fervently shook her head. “I’m _never_ gettin’ rid of my horses. I’d wager my horses are more reliable and more affordable than them goddamned automobiles.”

“Don’t speak so soon, miss,” Charlie warned as he leaned back up. From across the way at the other end of the bar, several gentlemen called to him and waved him over. “Those things are on the rise in town. Pretty soon, they’ll make their way across West Elizabeth and into New Austin, if they haven’t already.”

Maddie bit her lip. As she watched Charlie serve the men, she retrieved a cigar within an inner pocket of her duster. When she struck a match and lit up, the eyes of the men whom she was watching drifted to her. She puffed on the cigar and stared at them through the cloud of bluish-white smoke she’d produced. She flicked back her duster and exposed her pair of semi-automatic pistols. She smiled through the cigar when their jaws dropped. Chuckling, she turned and faced Charlie as he came back up to her.

“You want another, Miss Maddie?”

“Yeah. Gimme one more.”

Charlie gave her a cross look but acquiesced nonetheless. He, along with the flabbergasted rich men across the bar, watched her as she threw back the shot with practiced perfection. “Show-off,” he grumbled.

The electric light above her reflected on the wedding ring she wore on her left hand; she glanced down at it and smirked. She’d received four years ago, almost to the day, and though it was a simple band with a large diamond, it was all she could’ve ever wanted. She reached into her duster again and withdrew the money she’d received thirty minutes ago. She laid down a twenty-dollar bill on the counter. “I’d better get goin’. I’ve got a husband at home who’s missin’ me. God forbid I’m out of his sight for more than a day.”

“And for good reason, too, Missus Marston. You’re one attractive and impressive lady.” He glanced over at the gentlemen who stood staring at her and nodded to them. “They seem to think so. Hell, I’d say they’re downright intimidated by you.”

“Good,” Maddie said smugly. She turned to leave.

“Don’t you want your change?”

She smiled and shook her head. “Keep it, Charlie.” She tipped her hat to him and headed for the door. “Have a good night, mister.”

The bartender returned the smile and bid her good night as well.

Maddie made her way out of the saloon, past the poker table, and out of the patio, where her rocky mountain mare was hitched to the patio fence. Gypsy whickered a greeting and flicked her ears forward; Maddie petted the mare with affection before untying her and mounting up. As she reined her horse around, from out of the corner of her eye, several large and shining objects snagged her attention. Turning her head, she looked and saw with rising disgust the row of five Ford Model T’s parked in front of the hotel across the way from her and her horse. Puffing on her cigar in anger, she turned back in the saddle and kicked her horse into a lope out of town and down the road that led back home.

 

*             *             *

 

The nighttime songs of crickets and owls filled Jack’s ears. The autumn air nipped at his skin underneath his rancher’s clothes, but he didn’t pay attention to any of that. His attention was focused on the road that led onto his property. Dusk had begun to blanket the world; nevertheless, he sat in his rocking chair on the porch impatiently awaiting the return of his beloved wife. His fingers drummed an anxious rhythm on the arm rests; he frequently checked the pocket watch she’d given him as an anniversary present: it read eight-fifty.

“Goddamn it, Maddie, where are you?”

At his feet, Django lay with his muzzle resting on his large paws. The border collie whined and looked up at his master.

“She’ll be back soon,” Jack said and petted his head.

Five minutes passed, and he nearly jumped out of the rocking chair when his palomino stallion Sundance trumpeted a neigh from nearby the corral. The stallion, along with Féileacán and their foal Cloud, stood staring down the road with ears pricked and nostrils flaring. Jack watched the horses with growing excitement.

Off in the distance, a whinny answered Sundance’s call. Sundance and Féileacán whickered back and ran to meet Gypsy. Ten seconds later, the rocky mountain mare came galloping down the road carrying Maddie with her hair and duster billowing behind her.

“It’s about damn time you got home, Madeline!” Jack called out as she pulled up her horse by the hitching post. He shot out of his seat and rushed across the porch, down the steps, and across the property to the barn. He skirted around the gaggle of horses and enveloped his wife in his arms, nearly squeezing the air out of her as he held her tight and kissed her lovingly. As he released her and pulled away, he exclaimed, “ _Where have you been?_ I thought you said you’d be back before dark.”

Maddie shrugged as she turned and hitched her sweaty horse. Sundance came trotting up, and as the mare and stallion nuzzled each other’s noses and nickered, Féileacán and her tobiano palomino foal stood off to the side watching. As Maddie loosened the cinches, she explained, “Well, after I threw that horse thief in jail, I got thirsty and thought I’d stop and have myself a drink or two. The reward was only fifty bucks, Jack. It’s not even worth my time anymore to go out on hunts.”

Jack stepped closer and put his hands on her waist, drawing her away from her horse momentarily to turn her back around and face him. “I’m just glad you’re home. You know how much it worries me when you get home later than expected.”

“I know. I just wanted a few drinks, that’s all.”

“Just a few?” Jack asked with a cocked eyebrow. He gave her a quick kiss before leaning back and frowning down at her. “Maddie, I can taste the whiskey on your lips.”

She gave her husband an admonishing look. “Jack, I’m not like my father. Alcohol isn’t my reason for existence.”

“How is your pa? Did you see him tonight?”

She scoffed as she turned back to her horse, pulled off the saddle and blanket, and carried them into the barn. She placed the saddle on top of a saw horse with the blanket lying across it to air out. She fetched a brush, came back to her horse, and immediately set to work brushing out her worn-out mare.

“Maddie, answer me.”

“I didn’t see him tonight,” she answered back, irritated. The sound of the brush sliding across Gypsy’s sweat-coated back was the only sound for a short time. “I haven’t seen him in such a long time. Hell, I don’t even remember the last time I saw him at Blackwater. I mean, I’ve seen him on the street, but you know me. Every time he’d walk my way, I’d get back on my horse. I haven’t talked to him or seen him much at all, really, not since our wedding day.”

Jack turned and headed into the barn to grab another brush and help her out. As he momentarily disappeared, he called out to her, “So I take it you two have been avoidin’ each other like the plague, huh?”

“And for good reason, too. I’ll be damned if I talk to that bastard ever again.”

“Please tell me you haven’t disowned him, darlin’,” Jack said as he returned and stood on the other side of the black mare. “I mean, sure, he tried to kill me, but that was a long time ago. And he _did_ come to the wedding.”

“And he stood at the very back. I remember that, and I also remember seein’ him leave after we said our vows. He didn’t even stay for the whole thing.”

Jack’s brush paused in mid-stroke on Gypsy’s withers; he gave her an admonishing stare across the horse’s back. “Maddie, stop it. Any man in his position would’ve done the same thing. How else do you expect him to act after what happened between you two, and between him and me? I’m amazed he even had the audacity to show up that day. But you know what? He did, and for that, you should be grateful.”

Maddie stared out across the property, watching the cattle graze off over in the south corner of the fence that surrounded Beecher’s Hope. By that time, Sundance had moved off to join Cloud and Féileacán to graze. A troubled frown tugged at the corners of her mouth.

Jack walked around her horse and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Maddie, listen to me: you gotta let the past be past. We’ve had a good four years together, haven’t we? Our ranch is thrivin’, despite all the changes the land’s had to overcome. Sure, Blackwater’s gettin’ bigger and bigger, but we’ve got this ranch and ourselves to count on, right?”

She sighed as she leaned into his arms and rested her head on his chest. “Yeah, I suppose so, Jack.”

“But there’s still somethin’ botherin’ you, isn’t there?”

“I’m just upset is all. Bounty hunting isn’t what it used to be. _This land_ isn’t what it used to be.”

He kissed her forehead. “It’ll be all right, Maddie. One way or another, things will work out.” He pulled her towards the house and said, “Now come on. Supper’s been waitin’ on the table for you all evening, so get to it.” He pushed her gently on the back before he turned and pulled the bridle off Gypsy’s head.

 

*             *             *

 

The weeks passed; autumn settled around West Elizabeth, bringing a chill to the air and colder starts to the days. The leaves had begun to turn a myriad of brilliant fall colors; the trees began to shed their multi-colored plumage and litter the ground around them, and the ever-present breeze picked them up and spun them around like dance partners across Beecher’s Hope. Maddie and Jack had picked their garden clean behind the house, leaving the crops bare as they moved the food to storage in the pantry. The calves that were born in the summer quickly grew and filled out; Maddie and Jack drove the calves to the MacFarlane’s ranch, where the herd was separated with one half staying on the ranch and the other loaded onto the train and sold elsewhere. After they returned home from a long day of driving, cutting, and sorting cattle, the Marstons retired their exhausted horses to the corral alongside Féileacán and Cloud before heading in and getting a good night’s rest.

The next few days that followed were rather uneventful, except for the continuous work with the unbroken tobiano palomino. Maddie drove Cloud’s anxious mother out of the corral to stand alongside Gypsy and Sundance while Jack worked with the filly. She stood alongside the three horses outside the fence watching intently as Jack stood in the middle of the corral with the lunge line and Cloud loping around him, keeping one attentive ear cocked to him.

“Keep your shoulders facin’ her, Jack,” she reminded quietly to him as she watched. Beside her, Féileacán nudged her side as she watched her foal being worked with outside of her reach. Maddie petted the mare reassuringly on the neck.

“I know what I’m doin’,” Jack grumbled back, flicking his annoyed gaze back over his shoulder at her. “I’ve been workin’ with her since day one, Maddie.”

“I know, but it’s good to have an audience who helps keep you in check.”

Jack grunted in reply and returned his attention to the young horse who circled around him. He’d been lunging her for at least ten minutes, and now as he watched her lower her head and focus on him, he gave her the signals to slow her pace and come in towards him; the filly turned in and trotted up to him and came to a stop with her ears perked and her head raised. He stepped forward with a hand raised and brushed her pink, velveteen muzzle. Cloud flicked one ear back, the other forward, but did nothing to show signs she’d back up or refuse his touch.

“Good. Now try the saddle again with her. Maybe today she’ll take it.”

“I’m hopin’ she does, too,” Jack said as he turned and walked toward the barn. Cloud followed by his shoulder; however, the second she saw him retrieve the saddle, blanket, and bridle, she pinned back her ears, turned, and fled out of the barn. After ten feet of fleeing, she stopped, turned back around, and watched as Jack reemerged with her tack in tow.

Jack sighed and shook his head. “Oh, come on, now. Don’t you be startin’ this up again. You know what all this is.” He set the tack down on the ground between him and Cloud and watched as the filly cautiously took a step forward, her nostrils flaring. “Come on, you know what this is. Now come here.” He bent down and picked up the bridle.

The tobiano palomino faltered in her advancement for a brief second, and with a flick of her ears and a quick backward glance at her mother and Maddie, she proceeded forward and stood in front of Jack. Her lips quivered with intrigue as Jack brought the bit to her mouth and slipped the head stall over her dainty head. The filly took the bit without a fuss and stood still while Jack buckled the throat latch.

“Alright, Cloud,” Jack said as he dropped the reins to the ground, “here we go. You stand still now.” Cautiously, he bent down and retrieved the blanket. “Easy, now.” He slid the blanket over the filly’s back, and he smiled when she didn’t spook.

Maddie watched as her husband stooped back down the third time and retrieved the saddle. She gasped when the filly spooked slightly and side-stepped as Jack hefted up the saddle near her. “Whoa, Cloud,” she commanded.

“Easy, girl,” Jack added as he paused in lifting the saddle up. “Stand.” He lifted the saddle up and over Cloud’s back, pausing only a moment to let the filly calm before setting it down on her.

Cloud’s ears folded back against her head as she became accustomed to the weight and feel of the saddle and blanket. She side-stepped and pranced awkwardly about, giving Jack the impression he had to pick up her reins and hold her in place. After another moment longer, she calmed and allowed Jack to tighten the cinches. When he was done, Jack tied the reins around the saddle horn and picked up the lunge line. As he backed away towards the center of the corral, he sent Cloud out into a walk away from him.

The second the filly stepped forward, she baulked and squealed as she felt the saddle on her for the first time. She crow-hopped and bucked around the corral, but after a minute, she became accustomed to the saddle and came to a standstill, staring wide-eyed at Jack and panting.

“That a girl,” he cooed as he came up to her and patted her neck. “See? That wasn’t so bad, now was it?”

Cloud shook herself and rubbed her bridled head against his leg. Jack chuckled and turned around as footsteps approached from behind; he smiled as his wife walked up to him and wrapped an arm around his waist.

“That really wasn’t so bad after a week of work,” Maddie commented. “I honestly thought she’d do a little more buckin’ than that.”

“Me, too,” Jack said and untied the reins from the saddle horn. “Do you want to do the honors of finishin’ her off, then?”

Maddie’s smile widened as she took the reins from him. “It’ll be my pleasure.” She walked around to Cloud’s left side. She glanced at Jack as she rested the reins on the saddle horn. “You might want to back away now.”

Jack acquiesced and went to stand over beside Féileacán, Gypsy, and Sundance. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Maddie put her left boot into the stirrup and eased herself up onto the filly’s back. As she put her right boot in the other stirrup, she gathered up the reins. The second she nudged the filly’s sides with her heels, the rodeo began with an explosion of renewed power and panic. A minute passed, and Cloud gave one last crow-hop before landing back down on all fours and stood with her head held low and her body quivering. Maddie leaned down and stroked the tobiano palomino’s neck and said, “That a girl, Cloud. You did well. I’m proud of you, little one.”

She could feel her husband’s eyes on her as she sat back up and looked over at him. She smiled and shook her head as he began to clap.

“Good ride, cowgirl! Good ride!”

“Oh, shut up. She wasn’t near as wild as some of the other horses I’ve tamed.” Maddie reined Cloud to the left and, with a gentle squeeze of her heels, urged her into a walk towards him.

“I know, but still, you’re just somethin’ to watch when you ride like that.”

“Enough outta you, you smooth-talker. You’re makin’ me blush.”

“And for good reason.”

She reined Cloud to the right and walked her on around the corral. As the horse began to cool down, she listened to the horse and felt out her gait. She slipped into rhythm with the filly; the females moved in sync, even as the rider asked the filly to change gaits. It took several tries for the young horse to pick up on the cues, but she caught on fast, and soon, she was loping around the corral acting less like a green horse. When at last Maddie was satisfied with the horse’s progress, she pulled her to a stop and dismounted.

“Good girl, Cloud,” she said with tears of pride in her eyes. “You did excellent.” She patted the horse’s wet neck lovingly. “We’ll continue tomorrow. Hell, I might even take you into town and see how you do.”

“Do you think that’s wise, Maddie?” Jack piped up behind her. “It’s a bit early for her to experience all that at once, isn’t it?”

“There’s only one way to find out just how she does around other horses and people.” As she spoke, Maddie hastily loosened the cinches and pulled off the saddle and blanket. After setting them on the ground, she turned back to the horse and took off the bridle. Cloud walked off and sniffed at the ground, searching for the perfect spot to roll. As Maddie returned the tack to the saw horse in the barn, the exhausted horse laid down and began caking her beautiful painted coat with dirt.

As she reemerged from the barn, Maddie opened the corral gate. She waited for the horses to pass by before she left the corral and joined Jack near the water trough. For a time, they said nothing as they watched the horses interact and boss each other around before loping back out onto the property to graze.

By that time, the sun had begun to settle into the afternoon and well on its way to evening. Judging by the monstrous roaring their stomachs produced, the married couple decided it best to retire inside and reward themselves with a hot meal and a much-needed bath.

 

*             *             *

 

“Are you _sure_ this is a good idea?”

For the tenth time that morning, Maddie rolled her eyes, sighed, and nodded. “Yes, Jack, it’s fine.” She shook her head in annoyance as she finished tightening the front cinch on Cloud’s saddle.

“Well, if this horse comes runnin’ back here without you, I’m gonna say I told you so when you come walkin’ back.” He watched his wife ignore him as she finished up saddling up the tobiano palomino filly that stood patiently waiting before the hitching post; she chewed anxiously on the bit and held her ears pricked forward in excitement for her first real ride. Jack crossed his arms and shook his head. “I got a bad feelin’ about this, Maddie.”

“You always get bad feelings, Jack,” she replied as she untied her horse and crisscrossed the reins atop the saddle horn. She went to grab the cantle with her right hand and put her left boot in the stirrup, but Jack held her back with a firm grip around her right bicep.

“Just don’t overdo it with her today, alright? I don’t want you gettin’ hurt and stranded out in the middle of the plains.”

“I’ll be fine, Jack,” she reassured as she turned to face him. She nodded down to her semi-automatic pistols hanging at her sides. “I’ve got my guns if the need arises, and I doubt Cloud will throw me. She’s a good horse; she trusts me, and I trust her, and that’s all that matters.”

“Yes, but even _you_ know that the tamest horse will throw its rider.” Before she could interject, he raised a hand and pointed down at her with an index finger. “Don’t you be tellin’ me otherwise: I’ve seen Gypsy throw you off multiple times for the stupidest of reasons. You remember when she spooked over a damn rattlesnake and sent you flyin’?”

Maddie sighed heavily. “Yes, I remember. I’ll ride carefully. I always do.”

“I know, but I’m just—”

“Always so worried about me,” she finished. She leaned up against him and kissed him lovingly, making him sigh through his nose and relax from his tense stance. As she pulled away, she cupped his face with both hands and looked him in the eyes. “I’ll be fine, Jack. It’s not like I’m headin’ into Tall Trees or goin’ down to Thieves Landing for a day. It’s just a quick ride to town and back, that’s all.”

“No screwin’ around, alright? And no lollygaggin’ at the saloon, either. I’m worried enough as it is.” He gripped her hands in his. “Promise me.”

“I promise.”

After a long moment of hesitation, Jack stepped back and nodded. “Alright. Just please get back here before chores, okay? I don’t want to have to feed and water all the cattle and horses by myself while worryin’ about you.”

She scoffed as she mounted up. “Yes, dear,” she said with excessive compliance. She tugged her hat down further onto her head and gathered the reins in her hands. “I’ll be home no later than five. Is that acceptable to you, Jack?”

He chuckled and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” His eyes softened with endless affection. “Have a safe and fun ride, darlin’.”

“Will do,” she laughed and spurred Cloud down the road at a lope.

 

*             *             *

 

Blackwater seemed so much more gaudy and large than the last time she visited as she loped Cloud down the sloping road, across the railroad tracks, and into town. She couldn’t help but note the varying traffic on her way there: more automobiles than horses passed her. Cloud reared and squealed at the sight and sound of such a frightening hunk of metal. It was as if they had no respect or regard for her and her horse: they took up half the road with their loud, clunky contraptions and made her and her horse choke on the smoke as they passed. Once she had Cloud back under control, Maddie urged her on.

The streets of Blackwater were bustling with men and women in a myriad of attire; housewives wore the latest fashion from Paris, and the businessmen sported three-piece suits. It was a struggle to keep Cloud in a straight line down the streets: she had to rein her around people, automobiles, carriages, carts, and horses. The cacophony of the crowd was almost overwhelming for both horse and rider; they grew tense and befuddled at all the movement, sounds, and smells that assailed their senses. Already growing tired of the struggle to ride down Main Street, Maddie reined her filly down a quiet alleyway and made her way towards the plaza and gazebo in front of the police department and auditorium.

The flustered females gained some relief as they ambled up to the gazebo; Maddie dismounted Cloud and stood beside her and rested for a bit. A small handful of people were milling about, some enjoying the space and their privacy, while others sat socializing on the park benches. A young boy and his dog played nearby, drawing Cloud’s attention. Maddie paid close attention to her horse, making sure she wasn’t about to spook and run off. The horse’s ears and eyes were constantly observing as she took in everything around her. Her body held a considerable amount of tension, and as a gesture of reassurance, the filly brushed her pink muzzle against Maddie’s forearm and nickered.

“Easy, girl,” her rider cooed and petted her the neck and head. “It’s all right, Cloud. Nothing’s gonna happen to you, I’ll make sure of it, hon.” She stepped closer to the horse, like a mare would to her foal, and combed through her black and white mane with her fingers.

After a time, some of the locals approached her. Many comments were about her horse’s beauty, but some were about her uncanny dress. She was given skeptical, if not judgmental, looks from the uptight men and women that occupied the park. What little children were out and about with their parents approached Cloud with outstretched hands, wishing to pet the filly. Maddie allowed them to, but she kept a close eye on Cloud’s reactions as the miniature hands caressed her muzzle and forelock. To her amazement and pride, the filly lowered her head and allowed the children to pet her, flaring her nostrils and taking in their strange scents; never had she met such small humans. After a short while, the women moved away, beckoning their resilient children onward.

Maddie watched a particularly wealthy and stringy woman drag her weeping little girl away; the child looked back at her and her horse and pouted. Maddie nodded at the child encouragingly and grinned, advising she follow her mother’s lead. With a loud sob, the girl turned around and submitted to her mother at last. They walked across the street between a gap in the traffic and continued on with their day.

“What viciously changing people,” Maddie commented and shook her head. She looked around at how much the town had grown and changed. Where once there were dirt roads beside the train station and in parts of the town, brick roads had taken their place. Many more houses had sprung up around the outskirts of town, making it swell outwards towards the plains. There were fewer hitching posts and water troughs; no doubt the mayor had them taken down to make way for parking the automobiles.

“It’s all just too much, girl,” Maddie continued, turning to face the horse. The females shared overwhelmed gazes. “I can’t believe so much has changed in just four years.”

“You’d be surprised what can happen in such a short amount of time.”

She blinked and turned around to face the man responsible for her intrusion of privacy with her horse. Irritation turned to happiness as Archer Fordham came to stand before her. “Mister Fordham! How are you?”

“Well enough, I suppose.” A troubled frown tugged at the corners of his mouth; he took off his hat and ran a hand through his unkempt hair. His clean-shaven face looked worn, ragged, and dreary. His stance was slightly slouched, and his uniform looked not as ship-shape as he usually kept it. His badge looked dull in comparison to how it usually shined in the sunlight.

“You look like you’ve been to hell and back, Archer. Are you all right?” She crossed her arms and gave him an admonishing look. “Have you been takin’ night watches again? You know a man in a position such as yourself needs a good night’s sleep.”

Archer managed to chuckle as he shook his head. “No, Maddie, I haven’t been doing that. I have men who look over this town once the sun sets. We have shifts, you know.”

“Then what’s the matter?”

“I’m actually glad you asked, and that you came into town today.” His face took on a more serious countenance as he locked gazes with her. “Maddie, would it be all right if you and I could discuss something in my office? I was actually going to call you and ask that you come into town, but since you’re here, for convenience’s sake, I say we catch up and I inform you on the…situation at hand.”

Maddie blinked and stepped forward with a grave frown. “What situation? Archer, what happened?”

He gestured to the building to his left, and as he turned and led her towards the police department, Maddie followed, leading her horse. As they came upon the steps leading into the building, Archer called over one of the sheriffs and said, “Take good care of Missus Marston’s horse.”

“Yes, sir,” the man responded and kindly took the reins from Maddie. He and Cloud disappeared around the corner of the building.

“Now, then,” Archer said as he waved Maddie after him. They ascended the stairs and walked across the threshold; once inside, they climbed the set of stairs and up into Archer’s office. As they entered, he retreated behind his desk and sat heavily in the chair. He gestured to the door and said, “Shut the door, if you would, please.”

Maddie did so before carefully approaching his throne. She glanced about the room, noting that his awards and metals had grown in number and brilliance, just like Blackwater had. Stacks of papers spread out across his desk caught her attention.

“Have a seat, if you will.”

She acquiesced and situated herself in one of the two chairs before his desk. “So, what’s wrong, Archer? I haven’t seen you this haggard since we stormed the mines in Gaptooth Ridge. Is the war in Europe worsening? Has the U.S. started to become involved?”

He blinked, caught off-guard by her assailment of questions. “Actually, yes, to answer your last two questions. The Great War has been raging, as I’m sure you’ve heard and read, but I can wager that soon, we Americans will get involved. It’s only a matter of time before we supply them with more than just weapons and the like. But to answer your first question, let me ask you a question.”

She blinked and waited for his inquiry.

“Have you heard of the latest disturbance here in Blackwater? It happened a week ago, and I’m not sure if you’ve read it in the paper or not.”

She shook her head. “I haven’t been in town since I brought in that horse thief, and that was about four weeks ago. Jack and I have just been busy with the livestock and all that, so no, I guess I haven’t been keepin’ up with the newspaper. Why? What’s goin’ on?”

“A small posse led by a most psychotic woman rode through town and killed ten of my best men, not to mention eight civilians and two horses. I was there when it happened, and I saw my men and townsfolk get mercilessly murdered by these fiendish criminals.” As he spoke, his body grew rigid with hate, and his voice rose in intensity and emotion. “This has happened in every town from here to Rathskeller Fork. This woman and her men ride around killing people without reason, although they are more prone to killing lawmen than harmless civilians. Their motives are as scarce as eyewitness accounts and hearsay. But the only thing I can tell you is that these people are ruthless and seek nothing but destruction and death. Some of my best friends and colleagues were gunned down a week ago today as if they were nothing more than wild game. I know you’ve had your fair share of nut jobs and psychos, but this bitch takes the cake, and I apologize for my profanity, but I’ve been doing my research on this woman and her followers, but they’re like goddamned _ghosts!_ They’re hardly seen outside of towns, and when they reach them, they’re in and out before anyone knows what just happened, and all that’s left is a bunch of dead bodies and screaming townspeople demanding answers.” He gestured hopelessly and sighed. “So far, I have very little information, but what I can tell you is that this is no ordinary criminal, as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now.”

Maddie sat in stunned silence. She stared back at Archer across the desk and shook her head. “So what do we know about this woman? Do you have any leads at all?”

Archer looked down and selected a sheet of paper from the pile. He turned it around and set it in front of her.

Maddie looked down at it and instantly recognized it as a wanted poster. Her jaw dropped as she studied the sketch of the face of the infamous woman. “She looks sort of like me.”

“And apparently, she dresses similarly to you,” the police man answered gravely.

“What, is she some sort of impostor? Is she tryin’ to impersonate and frame me?!”

Archer shook his head. “As far as I know, no, but like I said, I don’t know about her motives or methods. She’s just become famous for having such a reckless trigger itch and an insatiable thirst for blood.” He nodded to the paper she’d picked up and held in her hands. “She goes by the name _La Phantasma_ , or _La Asesina_ , as I’ve been told by many eyewitness accounts. She wears dark clothing and rides a white stallion known as _Muerte_. As far as I know, around four or five men are seen riding along with her, dressed in dark clothing as well. She and her followers appear to be Latino; my theory is that they’ve crossed the border and are trying to raise all sorts of hell, but as to why, I haven’t a clue. Perhaps they wish to start a rebellion of some sort, since things down in Mexico haven’t been the greatest? Hell, I don’t know. And from what it states on that poster, she’s wanted for an innumerable amount of murders, theft, arson, and abduction.”

Maddie’s eyes widened as she read the inscriptions below the woman’s apparent appearance. “The bounty’s eight-thousand dollars!”

“And for good reason. Maddie, this woman must be stopped. I want this woman and her posse found, and I want them brought to justice. I don’t care if they’re dead when they’re brought in, I just want them taken care of.”

Maddie looked up from the poster and blinked. “Couldn’t you and your officers have gone after them?”

“We would’ve been more than happy to do so, but therein lies the problem.”

“Why? Where are they?”

He shook his head. “When word got around and their fame rose, they fled straight to Mexico, just,” he snapped his fingers, “vanished like ghosts.”

“So you’re wantin’ me to go after _La Phantasma_ and her gang in _México_ , where there is just as much civil unrest as Europe? Archer, I’ve got a ranch to take care of and a husband to look after. Plus, I don’t think it would be wise if I went down to _México_ at this time. It’s been years since I’ve been there, so I doubt anyone would recognize or welcome me.”

Archer leaned forward and rested his weight on his elbows atop the desk. He looked her in the eyes. “I understand your hesitance, but wasn’t it you who said you’ve been craving adventure? Wasn’t it you who wished for things to be the way they were, free and reckless? And not to press guilt upon you, but this is a serious matter, one in which I am personally invested in, along with the rest of my police department and my citizens. Were they still in my jurisdiction, I’d hunt down _La Asesina_ and her gang, hogtie them myself, and drag each one of them back here behind my Model T. Maddie, times may have changed, but not the ways of cutthroats and criminals. They’re still out there, bloodthirsty and stupid as ever, and they need to be dealt with before more people die. I’ve put my good faith in you for obvious reasons: not once have you ever let me down. You’ve been keeping an eye open for any such bounty hunt, however meager and pointless they may have seemed to you. You’ve helped keep this town and the surrounding towns a safe place to live in. The people look to you with good faith and admiration.”

Her eyes narrowed. “They do not. They look at me like I’m some kind of tramp, some sort of relic that’s been long dead and has risen from the grave to haunt them. I may be doin’ these people a favor, but they still treat me like trash just because I wear unlady-like attire and don’t have children. My reputation has been muddied by these rich townsfolk and their aristocratic view of life; my glory has been stolen from me and stomped on by the very people I protect.”

“Wouldn’t you want to cleanse their outlook of you, then?” Archer tapped the paper with a finger. “Perhaps this is a way to do so.” He looked her deep in the eyes. “Madeline, I _know_ you can do this. Dead or alive does not matter to me.” He gestured to her with an upturned hand. “Plus, eight-thousand dollars is quite a handsome sum. You and Jack would be well off for years to come; your ranch wouldn’t be a problem.”

“It isn’t a problem, Archer,” she glowered. “It’s the people that are makin’ this town grow that’s the problem. If they’d give me and Jack our fair share of space and tear down those goddamned barbed wire fences, then we’d be square.”

“Tell you what: you bring _La Phantasma_ in, and not only will you be rewarded the eight-thousand dollars, I’ll see to it that your land is protected, and that those fences are taken down for your cattle. You won’t be ridiculed over your appearance and stature anymore, and you’re more than welcome to join my team. A female sheriff or marshal working in Blackwater would certainly raise a few eyebrows and make people think twice before badmouthing your choices in life.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Mister Fordham,” Maddie chuckled. She looked back down at the wanted poster in her hands. She frowned as she thought of his offer, and though it was very tempting, the logical voice in her head told her otherwise. _Even with all his promises, things won’t change much. The land will continue to be taken over, and people will still stick their noses up at me. But who am I to resist goin’ back to México? Who am I to resist the very thing I crave for and used to do on a regular basis?_ With a smirk, she folded the wanted poster and stuffed it in an inner pocket of her duster.

Archer’s eyes sparkled with hope. He beamed at her. “Will the famous Madeline Marston ride again?”

“You bet your ass she will.”

He extended a hand toward her. “I can’t thank you enough, Maddie. I owe you so much.”

She shook his hand. “You owe me nothin’ but your word and your friendship, Fordham.” She nodded down at the rest of the papers. “Although I suppose you could give me those to look over before I head to _México._ ”

He gathered them up into a neat pile and gave them to her. “Of course. Will you be needing accommodations for your ranch?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll think of somethin’.”

“Will you have Jack stay while you go to Mexico?”

She shrugged as she rolled up the papers and stuffed them in her duster. “Again, I’ll think of somethin’.” She chuckled and smiled sheepishly at him. “He’s gonna kill me when I tell him about all this.”


	2. On the Road Again

The wanted poster sat between the married couple atop the dining table between their empty plates. The grandfather clock in the living room ticked away the time as Jack and Maddie sat staring at each other. Supper had just been devoured, the sun was starting to sink below the horizon, and husband and wife were having a stand-off of sorts.

Jack leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms as he studied the drawing of the Latino woman and read the reason for her bounty. His eyes widened at the price on her head. He looked back up at his wife. “So… is this why you came home an hour late?”

She tucked her chin down and nodded. She bit her lip, feeling guilty, but as the flame of rebellion flared outward from her chest, she bravely rose her gaze back up to meet his in challenge. She raised her chin and said, “But it was for a good reason, Jack. Look at the reward.”

“You know how much it worries me when you’re gone longer than you say you’ll be. I can’t let anythin’ bad happen to you.”

Maddie sighed and looked to the side. Her eyes met Django’s, who sat off to the side of the table between her and Jack. She frowned at the dog, feeling bad for having him there to watch, but like all their other disagreements from the past four years of their marriage, the dog stood by loyally. She and Jack had hardly ever risen their voice at one another, but when they did, the dog stayed to keep the peace.

Maddie looked back to her husband and nodded to the poster. “Eight-thousand dollars is quite a lot,” she argued. She summarized her and Archer’s conversation before she added, “It’s time someone like me steps in and stops her before things get any worse.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed a fraction; his frown deepened. “Where?” It sounded more like a demand than a question.

She pursed her lips and looked off to the side.

“Maddie, where is the bounty at now?”

“Mexico.”

His eyes widened, and he leaned back further in his chair. “Mexico?!”

She nodded.

Jack shook his head. “That’s too far.”

“The bounty’s _eight-thousand dollars_ , Jack.”

“ _I don’t care_ , Madeline. You’re _not_ goin’ down to Mexico all by yourself after some psychotic woman who’ll shoot you in a heartbeat.”

Maddie narrowed her eyes at him. “Let her try. I can take her.”

In his frustration, Jack tossed his head and looked down at Django. Man and dog shared a brief look, and as Jack tried to make sense of his wife’s impulsive decisions, he looked around his home and became flustered when he was reminded of all the responsibilities he had to uphold. He ran a hand over his beard and mustache and shook his head. “Maddie, this is just stupid. You _know_ we’ve got this ranch to keep up, and even if I were to just let you go down there alone—which I absolutely _will not_ let you do—what do you expect will happen? That it’ll be a breeze and you’ll be back home the next day? Darlin’, you haven’t gone after a bounty this serious since Jackson Randall, and not to bring up your…”

“Rape,” she finished harshly. “Just say it, damn it.”

He bit his lip, hating to voice the word. “Fine, your…rape. Maddie, I just don’t want somethin’ like that to happen to you again. Or worse.”

“Jack, I’m goin’ after a female bounty for once. The chances of me gettin’ raped are slim. Besides, the reward is worth goin’ down to Mexico and facin’ her.”

“And what about her gang? Will you face them all alone like a fool? I know you’re more than capable of handlin’ things by yourself—”

“And yet you’re so goddamned overprotective!”

“I have a right to be, don’t I?!” he yelled, sitting up in his seat. He banged a fist on the table, causing Django to flinch. “Maddie, I just don’t like this whole idea of you goin’ after a big bounty when you’ve been goin’ after petty little piss ants for the last four years. You’re a bit out of practice, if you don’t mind me sayin’ so.”

Maddie shot up out of her seat, causing the chair to fall backwards and clatter loudly on the wooden floor. She slammed her hands on the table and stared down at her husband with growing frustration. “You know what, Jack? I’m SICK of being treated like some old dusty book on a shelf, some old nag that no one wants! Everywhere I look, there’s a fuckin’ barbed wire fence here, a shiny goddamned automobile there! _Our way of life is dying!_ Things aren’t what they used to be, and it’s pissin’ me off! I used to be acknowledged and admired in Blackwater; now all they do is curl their lip up at me because I’m not an uptight housewife who submits to her husband’s every whim and has a child for each year she’s been married! I’m not just some dusty cowpoke or a rancher’s wife, I’m nobody to them, Jack! _Nobody!_ ”

“But you _are_ a woman they admire, Maddie. I mean, look at you! You’re independent, you’re strong-willed, and you have the work ethic of a big farm horse. That’s why Archer wants you to join the police force: you never quit, and you never tire.”

“But I _am_ tired, Jack,” she sighed as she stared deeply into his eyes. “I am tired and worn like a rusty nail in a rotting wooden fencepost. I’m as ancient as the life we live, or _try_ to keep living. We’re still here fightin’ the good fight for whatever it’s worth, and yet…” She bowed her head and shook it, her long hair falling to tickle the back of her hands. “And yet here we are, the relics of a decadent past still fightin’ for existence in a world that’s already moved on and forgotten us.” She lifted her head back up and fixed her eyes once more on her husband’s. “All I want is an open prairie where I can ride my horse around with the freedom I used to have; all I wish is to be useful again and be worthy of people’s respect; all I yearn for is an adventure that makes me feel like life is great once more.”

“You shouldn’t say such bad things,” Jack said. “We’re still important. _You’re_ still important.” He reached out over the table and put his right hand atop her left. He turned her hand upwards and clasped it. He grinned up at her with all the adoration he’d felt for her the four years they’d been married. “You’ll _always_ be important to me.”

She allowed a smile to burst between the cracks of her frustration and anger as she raised her head and looked back at him. She squeezed back and said, “I would hope for nothin’ less. And you I, Jack.”

He gestured with his other hand to her upturned chair. “Here, sit down, honey.”

She released his hand long enough to right her seat and return to it. As she placed her hand back into his, she was captivated by the expressions on his face as he stared back at her. Maddie watched his countenance morph from worry to acceptance to denial and back many times. Briefly, he looked down and studied the wanted poster between them, and when he released her hand to pick up the poster and examine it one last time, he sighed and looked off to the side at Django, who had recovered his bravery and once again sat between them beside the table.

“You do realize that even if I say yes, you’re not goin’ anywhere alone, right?” he asked as he looked back at her.

She nodded.

“And we’ll have to make arrangements for the ranch while we’re out chasin’ this crazy bitch.”

“Of course.” Her eyes sparkled as she looked him over and asked, “So what do you say? Do you have one last ride in you like I do?”

The complexity of emotions that ran rampant across her husband’s handsome face made it impossible for her to read. He sighed through his nose and shook his head. A knowing frown tugged at his lips.

“You’re not gonna give up on this, are you?”

She shook her head and grinned. “Hell no.” She took great care and time staring back at him, paying close attention to how torn and doubtful he looked. She narrowed her eyes a fraction and gave him an empathetic smirk.

At long last, Jack sighed and laid the poster back down on the table. He looked it over one last time before he turned his attention to his wife and answered, “Let me sleep on it, darlin’. You’ll have your answer in the morning, I promise.”

Maddie bowed her head in appreciation and acceptance of his compromise. “Of course, my love.”

 

*             *             *

 

“And we should have plenty of hay in the loft if the grass isn’t keepin’ the cattle and the horses full,” Jack found himself saying two days later as he saddled up Sundance. He glanced back over his shoulder and looked Eli Jones over, as well as the other two ranch hands that Bonnie MacFarlane had sent to help keep his ranch afloat while he and his wife were away.

The men nodded simultaneously

“And if you like, you can take the horses for a ride,” Maddie added. She stood behind Jack as she saddled Gypsy. She glanced back at him with an excited smile.

Jack could only half-heartedly return it before he turned away and finished tightening up the front cinch. As he moved toward the back cinch, he caught himself looking around his ranch with longing. Already, he was homesick, and he hadn’t even left yet. The autumn breeze that morning held a biting chill; his duster kept the cold at bay considerably, but his face and legs were beginning to feel the onset of the upcoming winter. He suspected it would be a harsh winter, and he hoped he’d be back in time to make sure his livestock were ready before the first snow fell.

“Make yourselves at home, boys,” Maddie continued. She could hardly contain the excitement as she hastily finished with the saddle and saddlebags. She had packed lightly but not foolishly; there was plenty of rations for her and her husband, as well as an extra set of clothes and ammunition, a compass, a map of Mexico, and her usual accouterments she always brought with her on hunts. Her body trembled as she mounted her mare, but it wasn’t the cold the bothered her. No more would she be dreaming of riding her horse across open land; no more would she be yearning for adventure and purpose. She would soon be quenching her thirst for all she desired once they left the ranch.

“Yeah, settle in,” Jack agreed as he mounted his horse and gathered the reins. He looked from Eli Jones to the other two men in turn, locking eyes with them all. “This place is as much your home as it is ours. Just be sure you take great care of it while we’re gone.”

With a broadening smile and a mischievous twinkle in his dark eyes, Eli nodded and said, “A course, Mistuh Mawsten. We’s gon’ take care a yuh ranch. Jus’ promise me ‘n’ the boys one thing when you’s get back.”

Jack blinked. “Sure. What is it?”

The Negro jerked a thumb back over his shoulder at the house and chuckled, “Ya’ll need to start fillin’ up that house. When ya’ll gon’ have some chil’ren?”

The Marstons blushed and exchanged horrified looks; the ranch hands broke into raucous laughter and smacked each other’s shoulders. In between gasps, Eli demanded, “What’s the problem, Jack? Ain’t doin’ yo job good ‘nuff?”

Jack hid his face behind his hat. “Jesus.”

Despite her face flaring a bright red, Maddie raised her chin and boldly stated, “There’s nothin’ wrong with my husband, and I’ll have you know we don’t need children.”

The laughter died down after she spoke. As Eli straightened up from his bent stance, he gasped for breath before he asked, “Well, whatchu waitin’ fo? The end of tha world?”

Maddie looked Eli in the eyes and growled, “Every time I see you, Mister Jones, you always ask me the same damn question. Well, I’m growin’ quite tired of hearin’ it. I tell you what: we’ll have children when you and Bonnie and Drew and _everybody_ _else_ stops pesterin’ us about it!”

Eli threw back his head and guffawed. He slapped his thigh. “Well, then! I guess we all best stop tawkin’ ‘n’ git ta workin’, then!”

“You’re damn right you do,” Jack hissed.

“Oh, ya’ll are just bein’ sour,” the second ranch hand chortled.

“Yeah, we’re just pokin’ fun is all,” the other added with a barely-concealed smile.

“This place had better be in good shape when I get back, or else,” Jack warned as he reined his horse around. Beneath him, Sundance pranced in place, swished his tail, and chewed at the bit.

Eli brushed off his warning with a careless wave of his hand. “Ya worry too much, Jack. We gon’ take care of yo livestock fo ya.”

“You’d better, you old coot.”

Maddie elbowed her husband in the side. “You hush it now. C’mon, let’s get going. We’ve got a long day of riding ahead of us.” She looked down at the men and tipped her hat to them. “We’ll be back as soon as we can. Again, thank you for coming on such short notice. We appreciate it. We’ll make sure to pay you double what Bonnie gives you.”

Eli shook his head. “No thanks, Missus Mawsten. It ain’t no big deal. We’s glad to be doin’ this fo ya.”

She smiled down at him. “Until next time, then,” she said as she reined her horse around and urged her down the path that led to the road. Gypsy needed hardly any prompting to go; she half-reared the second her rider’s spurs touched her sides and took off at a gallop.

Sundance wasn’t far behind her; within two long strides of his muscular body, he’d caught up, and the two horses raced each other to the gate. Their riders were able to pull them up at the gate and open it; otherwise, they knew their horses would’ve jumped the fence. Once they were on the other side of the fence and their riders back on, the horses took off once again down the road out of the Great Plains, through Thieves Landing, and into Hennigan’s Stead. By the time they’d ridden through the MacFarlane ranch, Gypsy and Sundance had worn themselves out and slowed to a relaxing walk. Now spent of all the pent-up energy, the horses settled into a peaceful, ambling gait down the road. At first, the journey was spent in silence as they made their way around Pike’s Basin. By the time the sun was directly above them, they ascended into Cholla Springs.

“So,” Maddie began as she looked over at her husband, “have you ever been to Mexico?”

“Yeah. Once.”

“Really? You’ve never told me that. What for?”

“Hmm?”

“Why’d you go to Mexico?”

He stared down at the saddle horn and cleared his throat.

“Jack.”

“I crossed the border and tracked your uncle down five years ago. Does that answer your question?”

Not knowing what to say or how to react, Maddie stared down the road before them. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

The plodding of their horses’ hooves and the sighing breeze were the only sounds for a long time as the Marstons made their way closer to Armadillo. As they neared town, however, Maddie reined Gypsy to the left towards Coot’s Chapel. Perplexed, Jack and Sundance followed.

“What are we doin’ here?” he asked as they hitched their horses in front of the chapel and dismounted. No men were present to tend to the church or graves, and so it was without a doubt that they were utterly left alone. Only the sigh of the breeze and the occasional blowing of their horses was heard.

Maddie waved him after her as she walked into the cemetery. “I figured we needed to stretch our legs and give the horses a rest. Plus, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

Jack followed her towards the edge of the lot to a gravestone. As they neared it, he felt a sense of piousness to the very earth he walked upon. It was only when he stood before the grave and read the inscription did he understand why. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped; he blinked in rapid succession, hardly believing what he read. He hastily took off his father’s hat and held it before him, feeling inferior in the presence of the late legend whom his father had idolized and told him about.

 _“Landon Ricketts?”_ he gasped. _“ **The** Landon Ricketts?!”_

Beside him, Maddie nodded proudly and grinned down at the gravestone. “Yes, Jack. Here he is. I told you you’d get to meet him some day.”

“But Maddie, you said he’d died around the same time my pa did.”

She motioned down to the grave. “Well, yeah, but here he is. Look, I know it’s not the same, but here at last in the quiet little patch of land in the middle of nowhere, you can see for yourself that he wasn’t more than just a legend.” She scoffed. “Well, he kind of was. It even says it on the stone, anyways.”

Jack chortled and shook his head, still not believing what he was seeing. “‘ _Here lies Landon Ricketts, the fastest gun in the West. May the Legend forever live on’_. God, I wish I would’ve been able to meet him in person like Pa did! He told me about him when he got back from bringin’ in Dutch.”

“I wish you would’ve been able to meet him, too,” Maddie agreed softly and sighed. As she read the gravestone repeatedly, a sadness she’d kept buried within her steadily rose and took hold of her heart. She ached for the chance to see the old man again, the father figure she so desperately needed in her time of sorrow and despair. She thought back to the day she and Landon met. She was nothing but a hot-headed, stubborn, and undoubtedly heartbroken girl of sixteen back then when she rode her weary horse into Chuparosa. She recalled how pitiful she must’ve looked to him, with her long hair in tangles, her clothes filthy from trail dust and the like, and her horse covered with sweat and her head hung low. She had just ridden into Mexico with nothing but the clothes she wore, the money she’d taken from her father and step-mother, and the locket around her neck of her late mother.

“You look a long way from home,” Ricketts had said the moment she hitched her horse. The grey, intelligent eyes looked her over with practiced intuition. “You look like some runaway mail-order bride, miss.”

“I sure as shit am not!” she snapped and, much to her dismay and shame, burst into tears.

The kind-hearted man she didn’t know from Adam suddenly came to her and took her in his arms. “Whoa, whoa, whoa there, sweet girl. What’s the matter?”

Maddie remembered being a blubbering, sobbing mess as she explained everything to him. From that moment onward, the old man had taken her under his experienced arm and, with unspoken consent, had become her surrogate parent.

“Maddie? You all right?”

It took a moment for her to snap back in the present and realize it wasn’t Landon that was speaking to her, but her husband, who had taken a step closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Maddie blinked and looked up at him.

“You okay? You’re crying.”

She sniffed and wiped at her eyes hastily with the crook of her sleeve. “I just miss him so much. He practically became my father.” She sighed greatly. “I miss his voice. I miss his shooting lessons and his stories. I miss our late-night talks and our bounty hunts and my Spanish lessons. He was the one who taught me to become a self-made woman, and a strong one at that. He made me into who I am.”

“I know,” Jack said and kissed her cheek.

Maddie sniffed again and choked back a sob as she looked back down at the grave. “You would’ve loved him, Jack. He was _such_ a good man. He was the peacekeeper of Chuparosa and the one that everyone turned to for advice. He was a good friend and a terrific leader. He was unmatched with a gun…although I’ve heard tell that your father was right up alongside him.”

Jack grinned. “Pa didn’t say much ‘bout what all he did down in Mexico, but he _did_ mention his time with Ricketts to me. I’m glad he told me about that.”

“I’m glad, too,” she agreed and wrapped an arm around his waist. “It’s good that our fathers met.”

 

*             *             *

 

“So, do you actually know any Spanish?” Maddie asked, breaking the silence that had developed between them. After they paid their respects to Ricketts’ grave, they mounted up and continued, riding past Riley’s Charge, Fort Mercer, and Plainview. Nothing was needed to be said as the two enjoyed riding the miles away. However, as they rode down the ascending road to the bridge that crossed into Mexico, Maddie felt it necessary to ask something she knew she should’ve asked long before they had gotten close to the border.

“Umm...,” Jack hesitantly answered.

“Well?” she asked impatiently. “Do you?”

He flashed his wife a facetious smile, tipped his hat to her, and said, “ _Hola_ , lady.”

Her confounded stare was enough to let him know he was way in over his head. “You can’t be serious.”

“Hey, Pa never really taught me. Plus, there was no need for me to learn, anyways, since I’ve always been here in the States.”

She sighed greatly, shook her head, and buried her face in her hands. “ _Excelente_.”

He half-turned in the saddle to face her as fully as possible. “Hey, let me at least try.” He beckoned to her encouragingly. “C’mon, teach me somethin’.”

She threw back her head and guffawed. “Really?”

He nodded.

“It’s a little too late for me to be givin’ you lessons when we’re about to cross the border. Granted, that’s mostly my fault, but still.”

He shrugged. “So?”

“So, what I’m saying is that you’re uncultured and therefore not ready for this.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Maddie. I can do this.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Can you, Jack? Can you really?”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Yes, smart-ass, I can.”

She scoffed and directed her attention forward as they neared the bridge. “ _Vamos a ver_ , Jack.”

“What?”

“Exactly.”


	3. Unsettling Information

The pale and ancient white gates of Chuparosa loomed before Jack and Maddie as the sun began to set behind them. The world around the small town resonated with coyote calls, owls greeting the night, and crickets serenading the nocturnal beings as the hot sun hastily nestled into its bed beyond the horizon. The lethargic four-beat gaits of Sundance and Gypsy added to the music of the night as they rode into town.

Chuparosa lay spread out before them like a lover in a darkly-lit hotel room, full of fine promises and mysteries. The settlement that Mexico first bequeathed to them was alluring, as was its people, as Jack quickly found out. His head swiveled around on his shoulders as he took in everything new; crossing the border had been fine with him until now, and now that he had, it felt like he was riding onto a whole different world. Without his knowing, he reined Sundance closer to Gypsy and Maddie and followed his wife’s unyielding lead.

As they rode their horses past the fountain and hitched then before the _cantina_ , a handful of men and women stopped and stared at them. Jack and Maddie dismounted their exhausted mounts and shuffled into the pueblo-looking building. Jack clasped onto his wife’s hand and followed her as they made their way deeper into the place. The _cantina_ was crowded with every manner of man and woman, all packed into one long building. The air was thick with mourning as the people took comfort in drink, card games, and each other. Maddie politely pushed her way to the bar and laid a ten-dollar bill on the table; her other hand hadn’t left Jack’s even as they made it to their destination. After a moment, the young man behind the counter approached them. A flicker of disgust and isolation entered his eyes as he glanced over Jack, but it vanished the second Maddie began to speak to him in his native tongue.

_“Buenas noches, señor. Tequila para nosotros, por favor.”_

Jack stood clueless and awestruck by her fluency and beauty at the language she spoke; he looked from his wife to the bartender and waited. His grip on Maddie’s hand tightened.

As if his skepticism hadn’t existed, the man smiled and fetched the bottle from behind him on the wall. He seemed pleased at the undeniably attractive woman speaking Spanish, so he hastened to grab the shot glasses and pour her and Jack a drink. “You an American, no? I’ve never seen you here before, _señorita._ What brings you to Chuparosa?” He seemed oblivious to Jack’s presence as he leaned his elbow on the counter top and edged closer to Maddie with a charming smile.

Jack stepped closer to the bar and leaned aggressively towards the man as he picked up his shot. He glared at him as he spat, “None of your damn business, _amigo_.”

Maddie elbowed him softly in the side and shot him a warning glance. She inclined her head to the bartender in apology and said, “You must excuse _mi esposo_ , _señor_. He is new to _la tierra_ and doesn’t know its ways.”

The young man blinked and looked Jack up and down. “ _¿Tu esposo?”_ he asked, his eyebrows raising. _“¿Realmente?”_

She nodded and grinned proudly at her spouse. She picked up her shot glass and threw it back without hesitance.

His dark cheeks flushed, and he ducked his head down as he uttered, “ _Lo siento mucho_.” He gathered up the bill she’d placed between them, turned to the register, opened it, and fetched the right amount of change. He carefully placed the cash in her outstretched hand, avoiding eye contact at all cost.

“Chuparosa is quiet tonight,” Maddie noted as she looked about before returning her gaze to the bartender.

He nodded gravely and refilled her glass. “ _Sí, muchacha_. We are all grieving.”

_“¿Por que? ¿Qué pasó?”_

His eyes darted around suspiciously, and he whispered, “ _La Phantasma_.” He took the rag that hung at his belt and hastily wiped down the counter.

Maddie and Jack exchanged perplexed countenances before looking back at the young man who nearly quivered where he stood.

“Come again?” Jack pressed.

The young man shook his head and gave them a panicked look. He clamped his mouth shut and instead moved away to a gaggle of _Latinos_ on the far side of the bar. Though they looked like they needed no service, he walked up to them and asked if they needed anything.

Jack watched him carefully all the while, and in his frustration, he threw back the shot without thinking. He would’ve kept his hateful gaze on the man if it weren’t for how smooth and sweet the tequila was as it floated down his throat and settled into his stomach. Blinking, he swallowed again and felt immense pleasure as he lingered on the taste. “Damn, that was good.” He set his glass down on the counter and beckoned for the bartender’s attention.

“Jack,” Maddie warned, her eyes widening with concern.

The bartender’s expression held nothing short of distaste and discomfort as he hesitantly came back to them and poured Jack another shot. The second the shot was poured, he retreated back from whence he came and busied himself by talking to the locals in a hushed tone.

Jack took his second shot without hesitation and sighed afterwards. He looked over at her when he felt her eyes fixed upon his face.

“What?”

Concern melted from her features and was replaced by a knowing grin. She tilted back her head and took her first shot. “Nothing, dear,” she said afterwards. “Nothing at all.”

Jack blinked, not following. “What?” he repeated and faced her fully, still holding her hand.

“It’s _muy bueno_ , no?”

He nodded enthusiastically. “This is some _damn_ good stuff, Maddie. Better than anything I’ve ever had in Blackwater.”

“That’s because it’s _real_ tequila, honey,” she chuckled and ushered the bartender over once more: he’d made his rounds with the other line of people at the bar around them and was circling back. “ _Dos más, por favor._ ” When their drinks were poured, she raised hers up and faced Jack. Once again, the mischievous smile returned as she looked at him. “ _Bienvenido a Mèxico_ , Jack.”

Jack paused a second to remember the phrases she’d taught him an hour ago. He smiled, raised his glass as well, and clinked it against hers. “Thanks—er, I mean… _Gracias_ , Maddie.”

Maddie smirked at his adorable slip-up before they threw back their second round in unison. As they sighed and set their glasses back down, they looked about them, taking in the scenery fully. The blending of voices rose above theirs and created such an interesting sound; the Latina prostitutes ambled about, staring hungrily at every man who appeared single and in need of succor; the congregations of robust but weary men blended together in a giant bustling crowd; in the second room, a game of blackjack was in full swing. All this, Jack took in with white-faced culture shock. Not only did he not care for large crowds, he didn’t understand a single word the people around him were saying, which set him further off edge and made him step closer to his wife and squeeze her hand tighter.

Sensing his distress, she wrapped her arm around his waist and looked up into his eyes. “It’s all right, Jack. It takes a little gettin’ used to, but you’ll come to love _Mèxico_.” She looked out along with him and smirked. “It may not look like much, but if you give it a chance, it’ll come as a surprise to see how much you enjoy it here. It was home for me for a year.”

“You mean when you ran away from your father and step-mother.”

She looked back at him and nodded. “Yes. Those were some…troubling years for me, but I adapted, and I came to love Chuparosa and _Mèxico_. I mean, _look at this place!_ And think back to the land you and I rode across to get here. It was beautiful, was it not?”

He nodded and grinned as he draped an arm around her shoulders.

“I knew the second I crossed the border I would come to love this place and the land around it,” she continued, a reverent smile spreading across her lips. “Landon Ricketts helped me understand the land, its people, and its culture in ways I never thought I imagined.” She looked Jack over with a glimmer in her eyes like that of a teacher overseeing her student. “I’ll teach you everything Landon taught me.” Her resolution faltered with a humorous grin as she added with a chuckle, “Well, at least, I’ll try my best.”

He frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Her chuckle matured into a laugh as she motioned to him. “Look at you, for Christ’s sake! You’re practically shakin’ in your boots; you’re _petrified_ of being here. God forbid you ever set foot off our ranch and explore.”

He sighed through flared nostrils and furrowed his brow. “Maddie, before we agreed to go on this wild chase, you and I swore to each other that we wouldn’t go after a big bounty like Jackson Randall again.” He harrumphed and shook his head as he looked around him with unease. “And so here we are…”

“Oh, you stick in the mud,” she giggled as she cuddled against his chest. Her lips caressed his underneath his chin before she leaned away and asked, “It can’t be that bad, eh? You’ve got me to protect you from all the _banditos_ and the _prostitutas_. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about, Maddie,” he commented gravely with a poignant stare.

Maddie took a step back from him and returned the same sharp look. “Jack, I can take care of myself, especially here in _Mèxico_. I’m _more_ than capable of fending for myself. Need I remind you that Landon and I went on hunts together during my stay here?”

“I know that, but how many times was Landon there with you?”

She bit her lip and glanced to the side. “Almost all of them.”

“Now you see my point.”

“Hey, it’s not like I didn’t have him at my side all the time. There were a couple of times where I went off on my own without him knowing and came back with the bounty tied onto my horse’s ass. Granted, I had to shoot and kill one of them ‘cause he was a little too much for me, but I proved myself to Mister Ricketts and to the people of Chuparosa that I was a force to be reckoned with, and that I was a serious bounty hunter.”

“That was then, and this is now,” Jack argued back with a resilient shake of his head. “Who knows how much things have changed?”

She puckered her lips and scrunched her brow. “You just _love_ playin’ the devil’s advocate, don’t you?”

“I’m just bein’ realistic, Maddie. Honest, I’m not tryin’ to pick a fight here. I’m just laying it all out for you to make you see that you need me here with you in Mexico.”

She rolled her eyes and faced the bar once more. She waved the bartender over and said, “ _Cervesas, por favor_.” Once she was given her beer, she took two mighty gulps of it, wiped the foam off her mouth with the inside of her neckerchief, and said to her husband, “Just you wait, Jack. When I show you the ropes around here, you’ll be thankful you came with me.”

“I somehow doubt that, Maddie,” he snorted as he leaned on the counter with his elbows. He sipped at his beer and glanced down at her. “I still don’t like leavin’ my ranch to that bucket mouth Eli. God knows what he’s sayin’ ‘bout us right now.”

“Never you mind about that; just concentrate on helpin’ me with this hunt and gettin’ it done so that we can get home as soon as possible.”

“That’s exactly what I plan to do.”

“But in the meantime, I hope you enjoy your journey across this rich and interesting country.”

“We’ll see.”

Maddie frowned and turned away from him. Her keen eyes scanned the crowds for what seemed like the tenth time, and like before, she immediately picked up on the tall-tale signs of a people in desperate need of help. The men carried themselves with less gusto. There was an overpowering sense of despair, hopelessness, and tension in the conversations she eavesdropped on; they all spoke in such quiet voices that she could barely make out the words. Shifting eyes and weary steps were often picked up by her acute vision, and it was quite clear to her that something was definitely wrong with the once spirited and lively people of Chuparosa.

“Something’s wrong here,” she pointed out to her husband in a murmur. “The people are afraid…deathly afraid.”

“Of _La Phantasma_?” Jack uttered back and stepped closer to her. “Maybe they know something we don’t.”

“Of course they do. Look at them all: they’re all huddled around each other like cattle at the slaughter house.”

Jack finished his beer and sat the empty glass on the counter. “We need to find out what’s scarin’ ‘em.”

“That’ll probably be easier said than done, darlin’.”

“We gotta try if we’re gonna find this Ghost and do her in.”

“Well spoken.” She looked carefully around, trying to meet the gazes of the men in the _cantina_. Most averted her eyes, while some returned the stare threateningly. Despite such harsh reactions, she continued around the room, turning around in a half circle until her eyes snagged on a lone man sitting adjacent to the blackjack table. A bottle of tequila was his only companion as he sat solemnly staring down at his shot glass.

“Bingo,” she said and smirked. She set her beer down on the bar and walked forward. Jack followed right behind her, and as they came to stand before the man, she knew he would be the one to talk amidst all these terrified people.

The Mexican was quite large, with thick black hair and dark eyes that flicked warily up to look at them. His weathered poncho hid the bulk of his frame, but even he seemed small to the bounty hunters. The man looked to be both on the verge of tears and towards the onset of a raging breakdown. To calm his shaking hands, he picked up his bottle of tequila and poured himself another shot.

Maddie stepped forward and smiled charmingly down at the _Latino_. “ _Buenos noches, señor_. You look a little…troubled.”

The man swallowed nervously and flicked his gaze from her to Jack and back. Beads of sweat began to accumulate on his forehead. With a shaking hand, he wiped his brow with a dark-blue neckerchief and sat staring back at them. In a desperate attempt to busy himself and hinder the oncoming interrogation, he threw back the shot and clumsily set the glass onto the table afterwards.

Maddie gave him an amiable smile and asked, “ _¿Qué es tu nombre, amigo?_ ”

“Jesús,” he blurted back in a deep growling undertone. “Jesús Aguirre.”

“Pleased to meet you, Jesús. I’m Maddie Marston, and this is my husband, Jack.” She reached across the table with the bottle and poured him another shot. As she and the unsettled man watched the liquid fill the glass, she said, “So…I see you and the rest of Chuparosa are quite unsettled about something. What’s happened of late that’s caused such powerful silence in such a once lively people?”

The Mexican ran a hand over his damp, reddened face. His hand settled over his mouth, as if he were forcing himself to remain mute.

Maddie set the bottle back down on the table and looked him in the eyes. “What can you tell me about _La Asasina_ or _La Phantasma_?”

Jesús flinched at the sound of the bounty target’s name, and his eyes darted about wildly. He licked his lips and murmured nervously, “I will not speak here in the open. It’s too dangerous.” As soon as he finished his sentence, he looked around like a deer sensing itself as being prey to some unseen predator lurking in the shadows.

“ _¿Por que, señor?_ What are you afraid of?”

Still looking about, Jesús began in an undertone, “ _La Ph_ —” He seemed to choke on her title, so he instead skipped it entirely and continued, “She has many spies and _asesinos_ in _Mèxico_. She has grown to such immense power in such a short time, _señorita_. Many people have joined her, mostly because they are afraid of death by her hand: they either join her or die. I am not about to be killed for telling you what you wish to know. It is too dangerous for me and _mi familia_.” He tucked his chin into his neckerchief and poured himself another shot of tequila.

Maddie and Jack exchanged glances. Without a word, Jack went to the bar and paid for a room for the night, then with a considerable amount of encouragement and reassurance, they ushered him to the room and locked the door behind them. It was rather spacious, with a desk, a small dresser with a wash basin, a chest, and a bed.

“Here, sit down,” Maddie said as she pulled out the chair at the desk and turned it around for their informer. Jesús silently obeyed and made himself comfortable as the Marstons stood facing him with crossed arms.

Jack nodded down at the man and beckoned, “You were saying?”

Jesús looked around the room and licked his lips.

“It’s all right, _señor_ ,” Maddie said and gave him a reassuring smile as she unfolded her arms. “You’re safe to speak in here.”

He shivered as he stared into her eyes. “If she finds out, then I’ve condemned myself and my family to death.”

“What is said in this room will stay in this room. You have my word.”

The man stalled a moment longer before he began in a low murmur, “She goes by many names, but _La Phantasma_ is what most people call her. Nobody knows her real name, or what she really looks like: she keeps her face hidden with a _pañuelo_ , and she wears disguises. But there is one thing that everyone knows her by, and that is she rides _un caballo blanco_ named _Muerte._ It is known that wherever that stallion gallops, he brings death to anyone and anything that’s in his rider’s way.” He shook his head and stared down at his trembling hands; he clasped them together to still them. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard or seen of such _una loca puta_.” He looked back up at her in the eyes and warned, _“Que tenga cuidado, señorita_.”

“What’s she after?” Jack piped up, switching his weight from foot to foot. “Does she target specific kinds of people, or does she even care who she kills?”

The Mexican shrugged and shook his head. “ _Yo no se_.”

Maddie sighed through her nose and pursed her lips. “Is there anything else you can tell me?”

“When she rode through town three days ago, she stole some ammunition and some other supplies, shot and killed a handful of people—two of which were my very best _amigos—_ and set fire to the market and the church. Thankfully we were able to douse the flames. Then, as quickly as she came _,_ she rode off and headed west, and from what I’ve heard by the few that have survived her _pistola_ , she’s riding across _Mèxico_ killing whenever she feels like it. She rode down here from America across Butter Bridge and keeps going west across _la tierra_. _Dios mio_ , the poor _bastardos_ she’s gunned down…”

“We’re gonna stop that, mister,” Jack said as he took a bold step forward and uncrossed his arms. He exchanged a strong, determined countenance with his wife before he added, “We’ll make sure she doesn’t kill any more people.”

“You say that, _señor_ , but you two must realize you haven’t been the only people who’ve said that. There have been other bounty hunters who’ve promised just as much and ended up the same: dead in the middle of the desert. The vultures and the wolves will pick you clean, _señor_.”

Jack shook his head. “No, _amigo_. This is different.”

The man looked unconvinced. “You’re both fools if you think you can undo what’s been done. _La Phantasma’s_ power is growing, and it’s only a matter of time before she does something terrible, and on a much larger scale.”

“You said she’s heading west, right?” Maddie asked

The Latino turned his attention to her and nodded.

“If she stays her course, then it sounds like she’s heading for Escalera.”

The trio took a moment to blink and soak in the revelation.

Jack looked at Maddie. “Isn’t that where President Reyes lives?”

His wife’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit.”

“What if she’s trying to take over Mexico?”

“ ** _Another_** _revolucionario_?” Jesús scoffed. “I wouldn’t be surprised, but then again, she’d be the worst we’ve seen of late. First it was Allende, then Reyes, and now her. Ha! I wouldn’t be surprised if she hasn’t already infiltrated the government already.” He looked at Jack and Maddie gravely. “It’s true, our government is corrupt, but if she digs her bloody fingers into it, there’s no telling _what_ will happen.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Maddie agreed.

“ _Pero_ ,” Jesús added, “I don’t think _La Phantasma_ is trying to be a revolutionary. She’s more like _una anarquista_.”

“A what?” Jack asked.

“An anarchist,” Maddie translated.

“Oh.” He looked back at the informer. “How so?”

Jesús blinked and gaped incredulously up at him. “Are you _stupido_ , s _eñor_?! She’s killing innocents everywhere she goes! Don’t you see? She’s cunning and fast like the plague, and she’s sweeping across this land just like one! She attacks whenever she wants to, for no apparent reason other than to kill! She feeds off the blood of innocents and relishes in the destruction she causes! It’s a _wonder_ that Chuparosa is still standing after what she’s done!”

“Where else has she done this?” Maddie asked.

“Practically every town east of here.”

“ _Where_ exactly?”

“Casa Madrugada was the first town to fall prey to her, then she just made her way across _Mèxico_. She pillaged through El Matadero, Agave Viejo, and Chuparosa, of course.”

Maddie blinked. “She bypassed Las Hermanas? _¿Por que?_ ”

Jesús shrugged. “ _Yo no se_. How should I know why she chose not to try to raze that holy place? She’s tried burning down every church she comes across in the towns.”

Maddie frowned and looked off to the side, her brow furrowing in worry. “That’s…odd.”

“ _Sí, lo es._ Either way, she’s nothing but death to whoever opposes her, so I’d be careful if I were you.”

“Do you know if she and her gang are hiding out in Tesoro Azul or anywhere near here?”

The Mexican shrugged. “No one knows, but I would imagine so.”

“Then it’s settled. We’ll leave at first light tomorrow and go check Tesoro Azul to see if she’s hiding there. If not, then we’ll head to Escalera as fast as we can. Whatever’s going down, we need to be there to stop it.”

“Good luck chasing after _Muerte_ , _amiga_ ,” the Mexican chuckled darkly. “You’ll run your horses to death before you even get close to catching up with her.”

Maddie’s eyes narrowed a fraction. “Gypsy is one of the fastest and toughest horses I’ve ever ridden. I know my horse, so I’ll be the judge of that, _señor_.”

“ _Entonces_ _Dios sea con ustedes_ ,” Jesús said as he stood up out of the chair. He walked hastily to the door and, as he grabbed the handle, he turned back and said, “I wish you all the luck in the world.”

She inclined her head to him. “ _Gracias, y también a usted_.”

The informer forced a small, unconvincing grin and nodded jerkily before he turned and disappeared behind the door.

A moment of reflective silence enveloped the room as the Marstons faced each other with mirrored expressions of shock.

“This is bigger than I thought,” Maddie whispered.

Her husband scoffed. “And you wanted to go after one last bounty.”

She scowled up at him. “Yes, but I didn’t think it would’ve been this bad. I wonder what all _La Phantasma_ has done to spread such terror across Mexico.”

Jack shrugged and pushed in the chair. “Hell if I know. Guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

Maddie sat quietly on the bed. In a daze, she took off her hat and set it beside her. “This doesn’t make any sense. If she’s not a revolutionary, then _what is her goal?_ Does she truly wish to spread such wanton violence, or is there something more to her motives?” She flicked her hair over her left shoulder and combed her fingers through her long, tangled tresses.

“It’s hard telling, Maddie,” Jack replied as he took off his duster and hat and laid them atop the dresser nearby. “Some people try their best to change the world; others just want to watch the world burn.”

“So it would seem.”


	4. Diversions and Casualties

The crisp morning breeze stirred the manes and tails of their horses as they stood overlooking Tesoro Azul; their backs were turned to the canyon wall and the sun had just begun to rise over the abandoned settlement, splashing brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow upon the white walls of where _La Phantasma_ and her gang surely hid from the eyes of weary travelers.

Maddie sighed through her nose and frowned as she scanned the gang hideout below through the scope of her high-powered rifle. She shook her head as she lowered the scope from her face and rested the firearm across her lap. Beneath her, Gypsy blew and lowered her head as she pawed at the ground impatiently.

“See anything?” Jack asked, looking over at her. He held his horse’s reins taut: the stallion had begun to prance about in place and was growing all the more anxious by the second.

Maddie shook her head before raising the gun back up to scan over what she’d been staring at for the past two minutes. She surveyed the entire miniature fortress, pausing on some of the buildings when she thought she spotted movement. Growing frustrated with the lack of light, she grumbled under her breath as she slung her rifle over her shoulder and across her back. She drew her right pistol and held it aloft in preparation as she nudged her horse forward.

“Something’s not right here,” she pointed out as she walked her horse toward the south entrance gates. No sound came to her ears except the sighing of the breeze and the flapping of tattered cloth from within the hideout. As the sun tiredly rose and bathed the world in light, she stopped her horse before the gates and sized them up, her brow furrowing with confusion.

Jack stopped his palomino beside her, his pistol held at the ready as well. “Where are they?”

His wife shrugged and dismounted. “Only one way to find out…” Cautiously, she approached the gates and rested a hand on one of the doors. Glancing back at her husband, who was right behind her with his gun in his hand, she pushed open the door and pointed her gun forward.

The Marstons rushed forward and dove behind the nearest cover possible; several empty crates served as their protection as they entered the hideout. However, with all their preparation and willingness to fight back whatever opposition presented itself, they were met instead by silence. They glanced up over their cover and were faced by an empty gang hideout, and nothing more.

“Strange,” Maddie murmured as she and Jack stood up and lowered their guns. Looking around, their bodies still tense, the bounty hunters advanced deeper in the settlement.

“No kidding,” Jack agreed. “Did they just up and leave?”

“C’mon, let’s look around. You take the right side, I’ll take the left.” She glanced back at him, right into his eyes. “Be careful.”

“Always am.”

Their inspection took them no less than ten minutes. In that allotted time, all they found were remnants of previous tenants: a smoldering fire here, hasty boot prints and hoof prints there, horse droppings, and indentions in the ground where people laid down for the night. The crates and barrels that littered the place looked as if they had been dragged about and moved into certain positions that would help fortify the gang’s protection from the outside world and other threats.

Husband and wife met in the center of the abandoned hideout, their guns holstered and their spirits sour with disappointment and worry.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Jack began as he looked about them once more. He shook his head. “They were _just here_ : the fires are still smoldering, and the footprints are pretty fresh. _Where did they go?_ ”

Maddie shrugged in response as she scanned the area alongside him.

“If they were in Chuparosa three days ago, then _where the hell are they?_ Why wouldn’t they hide out here?”

“Maybe they left for that very reason, darlin’,” she reasoned as she turned to face him. “Still, you’ve got a good point.”

It took her another second for realization to dawn on her. Eyes widening in horror, she turned and stared off into the horizon towards Chuparosa.

“Oh, no.”

Jack followed her gaze, and his jaw dropped as his eyes came to rest on what she saw. Over the town, perhaps even further, smoke clouds coiled and belched into the morning sky, the black swirling and curling about and blocking off the beautiful colors of the sunrise.

In the next instant, the bounty hunters sprinted to their horses and mounted up swiftly. As they kicked their steeds into a gallop down the road back to town, an ominous boom sounded, and as it echoed across the land, it spooked both horse and rider when it reached them.

In two minutes, they’d reached Chuparosa, only to discover that nothing was amiss in the town. Maddie and Jack pulled their panting horses to a stop at the gates, confused and trying to discern why nothing was wrong, when all of the sudden, a storm of gunshots reached their ears. Like the boom before, the gunshots sounded distant, and as they spurred their horses back into a gallop, they discovered where such havoc was happening. The moment they passed through the west gates of Chuparosa and galloped alongside the railroad tracks, their worst fears were realized.

In the twenty minutes that it took to reach Las Hermanas, it was far too late. The convent was ablaze, its gates destroyed and looking like they’d been blasted open by dynamite. The train station had also been set fire to, as well as the stagecoach that usually sat there waiting for passengers—the driver and his four horses lay upon the ground riddled with bullets and laying in puddles of blood.

As Maddie and Jack reached the convent, their horses squealed, skidded to a stop, and reared up in terror at the sight and smell of such tall, destructive flames. In shock, their riders dismounted and ran towards the crime scene, utterly helpless but still hoping to somehow stop the havoc. All around them, passersby had stopped and dismounted to scurry about as they tried desperately to douse the flames from the nearby water troughs and wells. In the middle of it all, five nuns stood huddling and cradling each other, sobbing and wailing as they watched their home go well past saving. Two of the women had sunk to their knees and raised their clasped hands to the sky.

Maddie stumbled up to the group of weeping women and grabbed one of them by the shoulders. She turned her around, forcing her to look into her eyes, and she demanded, “What happened here? Who did this?”

Between her sobs and gasps for air, the elderly woman cried, “ _La Phantasma_ did this! She… she came in disguised as one of us this morning at dawn! I saw…,” she paused as a silent scream of horror contorted her face and opened her mouth, “…I saw her shoot one of the sisters in the face at point-blank range!” It was all she could relay to her interrogator as she crumpled into the arms of her nearest comrade and sobbed openly.

Her confider took the opportunity to continue her friend’s recounting. With tears streaming down her face, the younger woman explained, “She killed all of _las hermanas_ except for us. We ran outside when they started shooting. The men we thought we could trust inside the convent turned on us and opened fire!” She raised her wet face to the smoke-riddled sky and shouted, “ _¡Dios mio! Dios mío, ¿por qué nos has abandonado?”_

The heat of the fire before them was unbearable, and Maddie and Jack pulled the nuns away from their destroyed sanctuary. All around them, men sprinted about collecting buckets of water and sand before attacking the flames. Their horses, along with the steeds of the strangers who had stopped to help, galloped away in terror and stayed at a far distance. With no other way to comfort the last surviving nuns, the Marstons charged forward and did their best to help put the fire out. However, in no time at all, they quickly became aware that it was all a lost cause. They slumped back, panting and exhausted as they helplessly watched alongside the men who tried their best and failed. Within a short time, the flames combatted and ate away at itself when everything it could’ve eaten was already lost to its insatiable appetite. With nothing else to fuel it, the fire died away slowly, as if imploding on itself, leaving the foundations of stone and the white walls a tarnished, soot-covered skeleton of what used to be a great haven.

Tears of anger and sorrow trickled down Maddie’s cheeks as she sat alongside the weeping nuns and the defeated men who, even though were mere strangers, became a part of the mourning party along the road side. On her other side, Jack knelt clutching her in a desperate attempt to shield her from the sorrow that emanated all around them, but even he was tearing up.

“This could’ve been stopped,” Maddie somehow murmured past the lump in her throat. “We could’ve stopped her from doing this if we didn’t go to Tesoro Azul.”

“We couldn’t have known where she was gonna strike next,” Jack said. He swallowed hard. “Still, I know how you feel.”

“She will pay for this,” Maddie proclaimed, her voice trembling with rising hate. Her hands gripped her husband’s sleeves tightly as her face contorted into a dark, seething countenance. “She will pay for _everything_ , I swear it.” She turned and cuddled into his chest. “There must be _something_ we can do.”

“What _can_ we do, Maddie? This place is lost. Only a thunderstorm can help us now.” As if willing it to come true, he raised his gaze above them, and though the sky was polluted with thick, black smoke, he tried to see past it with the hopes of seeing the clouds above them pregnant with rain and willing to bequeath to them their sacred gift. However, the sky was as clear and blue as any other day, and the bright cheerfulness gave a stark, satiric contrast to the travesty happening before them. Jack could’ve laughed and cried at the same time where he not so strong at holding back his emotions.

Maddie looked around them at the sole survivors of the terror of Las Hermanas. With a heavy heart, she watched the strangers who had taken their time and energy to right the wrongs shuffle defeatedly to their horses and mules, mount up, and ride away with a dejected shake of their head. To her right, the nuns cradled each other and sobbed in each other’s arms, all the while staring in horror and denial at their destroyed place of worship and sanctuary.

“We must take them back to Chuparosa,” she decided. “They’ll be safe there.”

“What makes you so certain, Maddie? If _La Phantasma_ can do _this_ and get away with it, who knows _what else_ she’s capable of?”

“We have to do _something_ , Jack.”

Jack bit his lip as he glanced over the remnants of Las Hermanas, then flicked his gaze to the nuns. He sighed sadly and nodded. He helped his wife up to her feet. “C’mon. Let’s get them out of here, then.”

 

*             *             *

 

Chuparosa didn’t meet their expectations of safe, just as Jack suspected. With the nuns riding behind them on mules, Jack and Maddie led them back to town, only to be horrified further as they approached the east entrance.

“Holy mother of—!”

Jack would’ve finished his exclamation were it not have been for Sundance and the other equines rearing up and shrieking in terror at the sight before them. Hanging from the arch of the gate, the man he recognized as their informer, Jesús Aguirre, hung suspended by his ankles with a thick, strong rope and his hands tied behind his back. The man’s throat had just been slit; a puddle of his blood had collected upon the ground below him, with tendrils of it still trickling down his face and dripping off his nose and forehead. Jesús was unfortunately not alone: what Jack assumed were his wife and two small children hung on both his sides in the same fashion.

The nuns screamed and stared at the grisly show before them. “It was her!” one of them shrieked. She pointed up at the bodies with a shaking finger. “ _La Phantasma_ did this!”

“Jesus Christ,” Jack murmured.

“It was all a diversion,” Maddie said. “It was all just for show. These people are no more than cattle to her.”

“No.” He drew his pistol and aimed it up at the rope that suspended Jesús. “Jesús and his family will not be a part of it.” He shot the ropes that held the family hanging for all to see; their bodies fell to the ground with solid thumps.

He would’ve dismounted and begun to give them a proper burial were it not for the remaining citizens of Chuparosa shrieking and running about within the town’s walls. Terrified at whatever else lay in wait for them, he and Maddie reined their mounts around the dead bodies before spurring them forward into a lope.

They brought up their horses quickly as the remaining families of Chuparosa scurried around them, collecting goods and necessities before mounting their nags and mules and forsaking their town. Nearly fifteen or so people were left as they made haste to flee.

“ _¡Espera!_ ” Maddie cried out, her head swiveling about as she looked for anyone who heard her. _“¡Parada!”_

A few people managed to come to their senses and stop what they were doing.

_“¿Qué pasa? ¿Dónde ha ido todo?”_

_“¡La Phantasma vinieron y mataron otra vez!”_ a man explained while he cinched up his brown mule. _“Todos han huido.”_

_“¿Dónde?”_

_“¡En cualquier parte, pero aquí!”_ he responded before hastily going back to saddling up his mule and mounting.

“What’s goin’ on?!” Jack inquired impatiently, not knowing a word that had been said.

“Everyone’s fled,” Maddie explained as she turned in the saddle to face him. “ _La Phantasma_ came back and killed again, as we’ve just found out.” She nodded grimly back in the direction of Jesús and his family lying dead behind them.

“So now what? Where are they headed?”

“Anywhere but here.”

“We need to take them someplace else besides anywhere,” Jack countered. He leaned forward in the saddle and prepared to spur his horse forward with the intention of stopping some of the people fleeing out the west gate.

“Wait, Jack,” Maddie barked. “Where would we lead them, even if they agreed to go?”

“Where is there that’s close and safe?”

“Escalera, I suppose.”

Jack’s jaw dropped. “Maddie, that’s _exactly_ where _La Phantasma_ ’s headed to next!”

“Well, _where else_ are we supposed to go?!”

An older woman nearby approached them. “El Presidio!”

Jack and Maddie blinked and looked down at her.

 _“¿Está seguro?”_ Maddie questioned.

“ _Sí, estoy seguro._ The President’s army is there.”

“That’ll work,” she finalized and reined her horse around to begin rallying the people.

“Wait!” Jack exclaimed, hindering her from nudging her horse forward. “Isn’t that directly back where _La Phantasma_ has taken over? Hasn’t she already taken over that part of Mexico? Why go there when her power is already in full swing?”

Maddie shrugged despairingly. “Where else are we to go, Jack? Besides, it’s the least she’ll expect, since we figure she’s been making her way west across Mexico instead of east. If we do this right, we can evade her and her gang and get the people to safety.”

“ _How?_ You heard them all: _La Phantasma_ has power all over this country, it seems. We’ll never make it there.”

“We’ve gotta try.”

With the woman’s help, Maddie and her husband rounded up the remaining people in Chuparosa and led them outside the town through the east gate, being careful to step around the bodies that lay at the foot of the entrance. Once there, Maddie explained to the terrified citizens her plan and ensured them that she and Jack would help protect them and lead them to safety to El Presidio. Jack watched on, utterly baffled as to what she was saying but getting the impression that she was promising them great things, and to him, her bravery and leadership was admirable.

Within minutes, he found himself riding abreast Maddie leading a small band of people. The sole survivors of Chuparosa followed them both on foot and on horseback in single file as they trudged down the road leading to El Presidio. It was slow-moving, and by the time evening came and the group made camp off the side of the road, they had just passed the remnants of Las Hermanas. Jack, Maddie, and several armed men took turns watching for _La Phantasma_ and her gang, but when dawn came and everyone packed up and readied their mounts, nothing was amiss. Concerned and worried that something would surely happen to them soon, Maddie and Jack mounted up and continued leading the people to safety.

The Marstons led the people as close to the shore of the San Luis River, taking less-traveled roads and avoiding the towns that _La Phantasma_ had taken over. By the end of the second day, they’d passed Ajave Viejo and Casa Madrugada, stopping to make camp at Roca De Madera when nightfall cloaked the world around them.

While the people made their small campfires and ate their provisions, Maddie sat atop a rock near the base of the landmark, with her back to the looming boulder and her Henry repeater across her lap. Wearily, she looked out across the desert landscape, her eyes heavy but still scanning for any wanton threat.

Jack shuffled up the slight rise to her, carrying a bowl of hot soup and vittles from the campfire he and the others were sitting around. He sat down beside her and looked out past the horizon, squinting and straining his eyes for any signs of _La Phantasma’s_ gang. No moon shown that night, but there were enough stars above to shed enough light upon the world for him to see for several miles out.

“Yet another quiet night,” he murmured as he turned and handed her supper.

She accepted it and rested it atop her rifle on her lap. The steam swirled and danced above the soup, caressing her face as she took up the spoon and bent over it. Though it scalded her tongue and mouth, she ate the soup with gusto after having traveled all day on barely any food. As she ate, she glossed over the fifteen travelers and shook her head. “Everyone’s exhausted. I think we pushed them too hard today.”

Jack frowned. “Yeah, I think we did. But we need to get to that fort as fast as we can before more people die, and I’ll be damned if that happens on my watch.” His expression darkened with guilt and anger as he looked down at the ground before his boots and sighed. “We’ve already lost the better part of the battle.”

“Don’t say that,” his wife admonished. She set aside her bowl, turning away from it long enough to console him. “We’ve suffered a defeat, yes, but that doesn’t mean we won’t win this. I’m gonna make _damn_ sure something like this doesn’t happen again. We’ll get these people to safety, Jack. We will.”

“I’m beginning to wonder if we stepped into this whole thing a little too late,” he continued gloomily as he looked off into space with a sour countenance. He scrunched up his brow and bit down on his lip.

“It’s never too late to turn the tides, Jack. We can stop her.”

He didn’t respond as he continued surveying the surroundings. Quietly, he sat there keeping vigil while Maddie ate her fill. Once she was done, she handed him back the bowl and spoon and thanked him. He looked her over with concern, and he frowned when he noticed how tired she looked.

“You gonna be okay taking first watch?”

She nodded fervently but was deceived as a large yawn escaped her

He gave her a look that clearly stated how wrong she was. “Maddie, get some sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m fine.”

He shook his head. “No, you’re not.” He nodded down to the campsite at his empty bedroll. “Get some sleep, darlin’. You need it more than I do.”

Maddie looked him over dubiously. “And what about you? You look just as beat as I am.”

“I can go without sleep. You know me.”

“Maybe so, but I’d better not catch you sawin’ away when I come up to take watch.”

“Of course, dear,” he chuckled and handed her back the bowl and spoon.

Maddie took it from him as she stood up and held her gun with her other hand. “Holler if you see something, alright?”

“I will.” He nodded down to his bedroll again. “Get some sleep. I’ll wake you in about three hours.”

“Alright,” she agreed as she bent down and kissed him good night.

 

*             *             *

 

Morning took forever to come for the Marstons, as well as two other Latino men who helped take watch. Though nothing happened all night, their nerves were on edge, and half the time their eyes played tricks on them. As camp was cleaned up and the steeds saddled, the bounty hunters still kept a strong vigilance.

By midday, the gates of El Presidio loomed before them as they rode down the inclining road toward sanctuary. Maddie and Jack pulled their mounts to a stop before the gates and looked above at the men who kept watch and marched along the fortified white walls. Behind them, the weary survivors of Chuparosa stopped and waited for them to speak.

 _“¡Parada!”_ one of the men above them shouted. All eyes froze upon them, and guns were raised and at the ready as the Mexican army sized up the group. _“¿Quién se va allí?”_

Maddie took the opportunity to speak for them all. She looked straight up at the man with the large, well-kept mustache and clean uniform and stated, _“El pueblo de Chuparosa, señor. Bueno, lo que queda de ellos.”_

The man looked her over and demanded in a grouchy, commanding tone, _“¿Quien eres tu?”_

_“Soy Maddie Marston, anteriormente Maddie Ross. Estas personas necesitan la protección de La Phantasma.”_

Jack leaned closer to her in the saddle and murmured, “What the hell are you sayin’?”

“I’m trying to convince this dipshit to let us in,” she whispered back.

The soldier blinked and paused before asking, _“¿Marston?”_ He looked directly at Jack and asked, _“¿John Marston?”_

Jack blinked in turn and stared up at the man. He looked to Maddie for support, then back to the general and shook his head. “No,” he answered back nervously. “I’m—er, sorry, um… _Soy Jack Marston_.”

“ _Este es su hijo y mi esposo_ ,” Maddie clarified. She reached over and patted Jack on the leg for trying.

“What’d you say to him?”

“I told him you’re John’s son and my husband.”

“Oh.”

The man looked about at his fellow comrades and bickered back and forth between them in rapid Spanish. He gestured specifically down at Jack, as if emphasizing his importance. After a moment longer of conversing, the general turned back to them and waved them onward. _“¡Pase!”_ he commanded before disappearing. A series of shouts was heard until at last the double iron doors of El Presidio opened. Maddie and Jack led the people into the fort, where they were met with a swarm of Mexican soldiers standing and staring at them with their firearms in their hands. Off to the side, what appeared to be other peasants and common folk populated the first level of the place. The fortress was relatively packed with citizen and soldier alike, as if this was the last safe place in Mexico.

“Looks like everybody else had the same idea,” Jack uttered over to Maddie as they stopped their horses in the center of the place and dismounted.

“Perhaps Reyes is helping his people after all,” Maddie agreed as she slid off Gypsy.

They were met with the same man who spoke to them at the wall. He stepped forward through the throngs of people and stood before them solidly, looking utterly important and imposing. While several of his soldiers began to pass out food and water to the survivors they escorted, the general looked Jack and Maddie over with a trained eye.

 _“¿Quien eres tu?”_ he asked again. He looked from Maddie to Jack and back as he waited for them to speak.

 _“Somos los cazadores de recompensas,”_ Maddie answered. _“Hemos venido a México para La Phantasma.”_

As she and the general spoke and exchanged information, Jack let his focus drift from the conversation, seeing as he couldn’t understand a word, and as he looked around the fortress, he couldn’t help but study the fortified, thick walls, the multitudinous cannons and Gatling guns sitting forebodingly atop the watch towers, as well as the pueblo-style buildings. He looked around at the hundreds of crates and barrels of what he assumed were supplies, both of ammunition and food and other general necessities, and he couldn’t help but think to himself, _This is exactly where these people needed to be._ He grinned with pride, finally seeing success after such failure only three days ago. _These people will be safe here._

_“Y este es mi esposo Jack Marston, hijo de John Marston.”_

Jack felt his wife’s hand tap his shoulder. He blinked and turned around to face her, staring dumbly down at her. “What?”

She jerked her head towards the man, who stood facing him with a hand extended. “This is Captain Gonzalez.”

“Oh,” he blurted and shook the man’s sturdy hand.

The captain looked him in the eyes and nodded with gratitude. “I want to thank you and your wife for the kindness you’ve shown to these people. There aren’t a lot of people like you two nowadays, now that _La Phantasma_ ’s riding around killing people if they don’t join her.” His superb English surprised Jack, and his deep voice resonated in the large, open space. The man’s presence carried an astounding weight, as did his sturdy appearance, yet despite his imposing demeanor, he spoke to the bounty hunters with exceptional kindness and generosity.

“Oh, uh…Thanks. And you’re welcome, I suppose.”

Gonzalez grinned at him. “I can’t believe it.”

Jack blinked. “Can’t believe what?”

“I’m standing in the presence of John Marston’s legacy. He was a great man: he helped bring about change to this country and helped our _Presidente_ overthrow Allende. You don’t know how much this country is grateful of your father’s help.”

Jack blushed but otherwise gave the man a pleasant smirk of appreciation.

“Captain,” Maddie gently budged in, taking a step forward, “what’s happened in Mexico as of late? What can you tell us of _La Phantasma_?”

Growing pale in the face from exhaustion and terror, Gonzalez gave a long sigh and ran a hand over his face. He beckoned them after him with a wave of his hand as he turned and started towards the nearest set of stairs that led to the second level of the fort. “ _Ven conmigo_ ,” he stated. “I will tell you all that I know.”

Jack waved Maddie forward, allowing her to ascend the steps first. They followed the captain to the second level, where the _Latino_ stopped near a cannon and in quite the great view of seeing the rest of the fortress. The Marstons noted the other cannons and Gatling guns that sat atop the watch towers, acting as if steel gargoyles of mass destruction. The trio paused by the fortress wall and looked out at the desert landscape before them that stretched far beyond their sight. It all seemed so foreboding, such a vast expanse of land that, somewhere, their greatest foe rode about freely. Though they were safe for the time being, they still felt utterly insignificant and powerless.

Captain Gonzalez rested his balled fists atop the wall and sighed. “Our country has had quite the struggle these last ten years, and we’ve had our fair share of _banditos_ and _criminales_ , but _La Phantasma_ is the worst. She only wants to watch the world burn around her. Everything she does, all that she’s devoted herself to, is chaos. It doesn’t matter who or what gets in her way: if she can destroy it, she will.”

“How long has she been a problem, _señor_?” Maddie questioned.

Gonzalez shook his head and scoffed. “She’s only become a threat as of late. She rose up out of nowhere. It’s as if _Dia de Los Muertos_ has sprung her to life, and now she’s on a rampage. _Dios mio_ , she’s insatiable.”

“ _Dia de Los Muertos_ isn’t even a month away!” Maddie said. “She rose to power _that quickly?_ ”

“ _Exactamente_ ,” the captain answered. “Like the plague, she came. Not a lot is known about her origins, or how she came to power so fast, except for her sole desire to kill, and if you don’t stand alongside her and help her destroy, then you yourself get destroyed instead. It’s as simple as that, _señora_. We don’t know where she came from, who she really is, or what her true goal is, other than to kill, kill, kill. I guess she started out in America but had only a handful of followers—she was only _una penqueña bandita_ then, but now, she’s _una anarquista_ , and she’s only getting worse as the days go by.”

“You’re right about that one, _amigo_ ,” Jack added. He frowned deeply as he admitted, “She burned down Las Hermanas three days ago.” He gestured to himself and to his wife. “We did everything we could to stop it, but we were in the wrong place and the wrong time when it happened.”

Gonzalez’s eyes bulged and his jaw dropped _“¿Realmente?”_

Maddie nodded. “Only five nuns survived. They are here with us.” She pointed down below to where the nuns and the other survivors from Chuparosa had congregated to eat and rest on crates.

“ _Madre de Dios_ ,” the captain whispered as he followed her gesture. He shook his head and scratched at his mustache in deep recollection, taking the time to soak in the disheartening information he’d just received. “She’s practically taken over this country, except for this place and Escalera.” He looked down at the swarm of civilians who had begun to mingle and take comfort in one another. “You and your little group from Chuparosa haven’t been the only people who have taken refuge here at El Presidio. People from Casa Madruga, Ajave Viejo, and El Matadero have come here as well. What little people have survived _La Phantasma_ ’s butchery have fled here, and we have kept them safe and fed under President Reyes’ orders.”

 “Speaking of which,” Maddie piped up, “why hasn’t _Presidente_ Reyes dealt with _La Phantasma_ if she’s become such a terrible problem? Why hasn’t Reyes interfered?”

“Reyes has been busy with other things,” he quickly responded, looking sheepish.

“Like what?”

The man’s eyes narrowed at her boldness. “Running this country, for one thing.”

“How about defending its people?” Jack inquired bravely, his eyebrows narrowing darkly over his eyes. “What has he been doin’ while the townsfolk are bein’ killed and terrorized and bein’ forced to join an army that will only cause further destruction and death?”

“Reyes has done everything in his power to stop her, _gringo_! He’d sent us out to find and capture her, but she’s evaded us from the start. At first, we thought she was no more than a rowdy peasant who wanted to cause some trouble, but we never expected her to rise up this high and become such a bigger problem.”

“‘A bigger problem’,” Jack scoffed. “No offense, but that just sounds plain lazy to me.”

“Has she taken over so quickly to where you and your army couldn’t have avoided her?” Maddie continued. “You’re a part of the Mexican army, _amigo_. You could easily take her on and wipe her out of existence.”

“We would’ve done that long ago if we would’ve known where she hides. She keeps slipping past our nets.”

“Why couldn’t you have sent out a—”

 _“¡Capitán!”_ came a panicked shout from somewhere nearby. _“¡Mi capitán, ven aqui! ¡Rapido!”_

The trio whipped their heads towards the cry, and their gazes rose above them on a soldier who stood beside a Gatling gun. The man was beckoning them urgently while pointing out towards the rise outside the fortress’ walls.

 _“¿Qué es?”_ Gonzalez demanded as he rushed forward and ascended the ladder. Maddie and Jack followed right behind him, their bodies becoming once again flooded with adrenaline should the need arise for action.

As they topped the look-out and stood next to the soldier, all eyes followed the young man’s index finger. Everything went silent as their attention became fixated on a lone rider that sat astride a white horse and stared back at them nearly a hundred yards away on a rise just before the gates of El Presidio. The rider’s long black hair flowed freely to the side from beneath a black flat-brimmed hat, blowing carelessly along with the breeze and moving in sync with the white horse’s mane and tail. The person was dressed in dark clothing, complete with a black, hoodless shroud over similarly-dark pants and shirt, and a bright-red bandana over their face.

 _“¡Hijo de puta!”_ Gonzalez hissed, his voice trembling. “It’s her!”

“What?” Jack and Maddie chorused, flicking their gaze from the rider to Gonzalez and back.

“It’s _La Phantasma!”_ proclaimed the young soldier.

“How do you know it’s her?” Jack asked. He fetched his binoculars within his satchel hastily and brought it up to his eyes.

“It’s her, _señor_. _Sólo muerte monta un caballo pálido.”_

“What did he say?” Jack asked. He briefly looked away from the lens to glance at his wife.

“Only Death rides a pale horse,” she translated.

Jack swallowed nervously as he returned his eyes to his binoculars. Through the lens, he was able to see _La Phantasma_ for the first time, and in relative clarity. Upon closer inspection, her white horse appeared to be an albino: the stallion’s eyes, muzzle, and ears were a pale red. But what struck him the most was his rider’s appearance: though it was concealed by a bandana and a hat, from what little he could see of her eyes and nose looked as if she’d painted her face.

“What the hell?” he asked aloud.

“What?” Maddie asked as she stepped closer and gestured for the binoculars.

“Look at her face,” he answered as he gave up the binoculars to her.

Maddie looked through them and gasped. “Is she…? Has she painted her face to look like a…?”

Before Jack or any other soldier nearby could answer, right before their eyes, _La Phantasma_ took off her hat and pulled off her bandana, revealing to every soldier who wished her dead the most terrifying face makeup: she had painted her face to look like a skull, with deep black circles around her eyes where her sockets would be, as well as a black spade-shape on her nose. Black lines were meticulously painted across her lips and across her cheeks to make her mouth appear only as bare teeth on a pair of bony jaws. On her forehead, chin, and cheekbones, she’d crafted what looked like intricate floral patterns in bright red paint.

 _“¡Santa Muerte!”_ the young soldier gasped and crossed himself hastily.

Jack stared at his wife. “What does that mean?”

“She’s painted herself as Our Lady of Holy Death.”

He blinked. “Which means…?”

“Think Grim Reaper but different.”

“She’s _desecrating_ the saint!” Gonzalez angrily reprieved, his fists shaking by his sides. “How DARE she try be an impostor of _Santa Muerte_!”

“Isn’t that the whole point?” Maddie pointed out, gesturing with an upturned palm at the rider before them. She shook her head, scoffed, and regrettably admitted, “How very clever.”

 _“¡No es inteligente,_ _maldita sea!_ ” the captain shouted. He stepped forward and reached for the lever of the Gatling gun. “ _¡Eso es suficiente!_ I’ve had enough of this impostor and usurper! I’ll deal with her myself!”

Just as he was about to fire the Gatling, his hand froze and his mouth gaped open as a wall of mounted men appeared seemingly out of nowhere, topping the rise and pulling their horses to a stop behind _La Phantasma_. Like a cavalry about to charge into battle, the army of followers took up their positions behind their leader in a v-shaped formation. All two hundred and fifty men sat atop their horses of varying colors and breeds with steadfast resolve. They respectfully looked to their leader just as she walked her horse forward several paces.

She stopped the stallion, however, just before the horse was about to descend the hill down towards the gates of El Presidio. She pulled back on the reins, leaned back in her black saddle, and kicked her heels forward, nudging the stallion’s shoulders with her spurs and causing him to rear up tall and proud. The horse pawed at the air before him powerfully before landing back down on all fours and tossing his head. After putting on a show, his rider and all the others behind him studied the fortress before them silently, looking for any signs of weakness in the strong foundations of white stone and iron defenses. Their eyes bore through every soldier whose gaze they met; their presence alone struck terror into the hearts of even the bravest of men.

Two tense minutes passed as the opposing armies sized each other up and waited for the other to make a move. No one stirred or spoke during that time, except for the wall of strong horses that blew, whickered, and pawed at the ground. All the while, _La Phantasma_ sat proudly atop her white stallion, boldly showing herself off and making a statement that only she could’ve pulled off in such an impressive manner. However, despite her superior presence and authoritative body language, the one thing that instantly set a shiver to every man’s spine was the way she stared up at the captain, Jack, and Maddie, as well as the way she suddenly jerked her horse’s reins to the right and kicked him into a gallop. It was clear then that despite possessing such clear brutal force, she was met with a definite mishap in her plans, and that enraged her. The white stallion was a beacon of chaotic leadership as he barreled across the land and headed straight east; the thundering of two hundred and fifty sets of hooves deafened the ears of the soldiers and anyone within a two-mile radius as the army of followers quickly disappeared off into the horizon.

Only then did every soldier and citizen within El Presidio breathe a sigh and relax from their tense stance. Captain Gonzalez turned and faced Jack and Maddie.

“Now we know what she looks like,” he muttered as he took his neckerchief in his hands and wiped the sweat from his brow. “There’s no mistaking the leader of such a large gang on such a white, powerful _caballo_.”

“Indeed,” Maddie agreed and sighed heavily. She rested both hands on the ledge and bowed her head, overcome with worry and exhaustion brought on after such an adrenaline rush. “This is bad. Really bad.”

Her husband nodded as he returned his binoculars to his satchel. “We gotta figure somethin’ out soon, or else we’re screwed.” He looked to Gonzalez and gestured in the direction the gang disappeared. “They were headed east. What’s in that direction?”

“Torquemada.”

Maddie’s eyes suddenly bulged, and she straightened from her slouched stance as she turned and faced him with an ever-growing look of concern. “How long has Reyes’ forces been stationed up there?”

Gonzalez blinked incredulously. “Not since he became _Presidente_. _¿Por qué?_ ”

 _“¡¿Por qué no?!_ ” she exclaimed and gestured wildly out towards the gang hideout. “Are you telling me Torquemada has been abandoned all those years? What’s become of it?”

“It’s been home to a few _banditos_ off and on, _pero_ …” The rest of the captain’s sentence drifted off into silence as her point became across. “ _Mierda_.”

“ _Mierda_ indeed!” Maddie shouted. She jabbed a finger eastward. “I bet you any kind of _pesos_ that _that’s_ where she’s headed, and if that’s the case, then we’re _really_ screwed.”

“Why?” Jack asked. “What’s so special about that place?”

“It’s a fucking fortress in its own self. It’s sitting way up on the top of a mesa, which gives it a tremendous tactical advantage, and there’s only one way up to the hideout, which makes it nearly impossible to sneak up to without being noticed. It’s a place that well-defended and pretty much impregnable.”

“Maddie, with all those men followin’ her, I’m pretty damn sure she could impregnate it,” Jack shot back. He exhaled angrily through his nose and pounded a fist down onto the ledge of the wall as the tension and anger rose to a breaking point within him. He turned sharply to his wife and added, “If that’s the case, then we are neck-deep in a _heap_ of shit, Maddie, and _you’re_ the one who drug _us_ into it.”

Her jaw dropped. “Me?!”

He pointed down at her with his right index finger. “ _You’re_ the one who got us into this mess, with you wantin’ to relive the glory days.”

She smacked his hand away and glared up at him. “That’s not true! There was a bounty that needed to be taken care of, and I went after it.”

“Yeah, well, now look where that got us!” he shouted back as he gestured angrily about them.

“Hey, I didn’t know it was gonna be _this_ _bad_ , okay?! How was I to know it was gonna become a war of sorts?”

Jack shook his head and flicked his gaze upward in disbelief. He raised both hands and gestured toward her, his fingers becoming like claws as he demanded, “Why did YOU have to go and try to take care of this big problem, Maddie? Why does it _always_ have to be YOU who has to go after things like this? Why couldn’t you have just been happy with the peaceful way of life we had back at Beecher’s Hope? We could be at home _right now_ just mindin’ our own business and carryin’ on like we were before, but instead, YOU drug us into _this_!”

“Don’t push the blame all on me, goddamn it! I was merely _doing my job!_ It’s my job to bring in criminals such as _La Phantasma_ , and seeing as Archer Fordham personally saw to it that I go after this particular bounty, I have a certain duty to uphold. Isn’t it my duty as a bounty hunter to bring outlaws into jail and take back justice?”

Jack’s eyes narrowed to slits of rage. He dropped one hand to his side and pointed down at her with the other with one cold, jabbing finger. “You’re not doin’ it for duty, Madeline. You’re doin’ it for your own selfish desires. There’s a BIG difference!”

Husband and wife glared each other down, their noses inches away from the other. When the tension was overflowing, Jack sighed through his nose, took a step back, and looked away. He chewed on his bottom lip as he glared of in the direction of where _La Phantasma_ and her army disappeared, and with a shake of his head, he turned away from Maddie and began descending the ladder.

Maddie glared down at him. “And just _where the hell_ do you think _you’re_ going?!”

“Goin’ to have a long chat with my good friend Tequila,” he snapped back without looking at her.

She watched him stomp down the stairs and into the main building. She flinched when he slammed the door behind him as he disappeared inside.


	5. Reconciliation

_You call that shooting, missy?”_

_Maddie’s lip twitched as the old man’s raspy voice teased at her ear and prickled her rising anger. Frustrated, she furrowed her brow to the point where it almost looked comical and bit down on her lip. “I know what I’m doin’, goddamn it!”_

_“Watch your language, Miss Ross.”_

_The angry fifteen-year-old girl flicked her seething gaze over to him and shouted, “I know how to shoot!”_

_“Like hell you do,” he shot back, looking as if a small smirk dared to escape past his white mustache. His eyes glinted with a mixture of reminiscence, humor, and disappointment. He sat atop an empty barrel and leaned his back against the white wall of Chuparosa—he had decided it best to teach his young pupil how to be a better shot just outside of town rather than within its walls. A smoking cigarette rested gently between his index and middle finger in his left hand; in the other, he held a shot glass full of whiskey. Beside him, he’d made a make-shift table and bar out of several stacked crates: on top of the highest crate sat a bottle of whiskey and another cigarette he’d rolled up in preparation for a long, stressful afternoon. He figured he’d needed at least two smokes and some strong liquor to help him deal with the hot-headed teenager._

_“Hold your gun steady. And bend them knees, girl. You’re standin’ stiffer than a tall hickory.”_

_Again, Maddie glared at him. With an extravagant sigh and a nasty scowl, she turned and faced him with one hand resting sassily on her hip and the other flimsily holding her semi-automatic pistol. Her shoulder-length hair swayed lazily in the wind as a breeze picked up. “For your information, Ricketts, my pa showed me how to shoot! Granted, that’s the only thing he did right with me, but—”_

_“He failed at that, too, kid,” Landon corrected solidly, looking her deep in the eyes with a penetrating, truthful stare. He jerked his head towards the line of empty whiskey bottles he’d set up earlier that day about twenty yards in front of his pupil. “Now let’s see you shoot like a real gunfighter. You wanna learn how to defend yourself properly, right?”_

_The teenage girl pursed her lips. “Yeah.”_

_The old man beckoned forth with cigarette in hand. “Then let me see what you’ve got, and without any of that sass. Watch your temper, girl. Don’t let it get the best of you and your gun.”_

_She rolled her eyes and sighed yet again as she turned back to the bottles before her sitting atop barrels. She brought the pistol back up and cocked it angrily with a flick of the toggle with her index finger and thumb. Frustrated by her lack of progress and irritated at the old man watching her, she half-heartedly looked down the barrel of the gun and aimed her sights at the first bottle for what seemed like the tenth time that minute. Struggling to gain confidence, she blinked as she pulled back the trigger. The gun kicked back, nearly hitting her square on the forehead, and just as she predicted, the bottle still stood in one piece, taunting her._

_“Hold it steady!” Ricketts chastised, his rustic voice rising in pitch. “Quit gettin’ angry and just shoot.”_

_“I **AM**!” she shrieked and then proceeded to fire off three rounds blindly at the target. The bottle remained untouched. “SON OF A BITCH!” she screamed and nearly threw her gun._

_“Watch your mouth!” Ricketts barked. He shook his head as he watched her toss up her hands in defeat and pace back and forth four steps. He frowned deeply, knowing how much hard work was ahead of him and his young student. He cocked an eyebrow at her as she glanced over at him. “You feel better now?”_

_“No!”_

_“Then why’d you waste those bullets?”_

_She was too livid to respond as she glared at him through her long, wind-blown tresses._

_“Don’t you give me that look. Stop getting so worked up, girl. You’re letting your—”_

_“Anger get the best of me, I know!” she finished with a roll of her eyes. She flicked back her hair with a jerk of her head and glared at the bottle before her with all the hatred she could project upon an inanimate object that seemingly loved to mock her._

_“Then what’s the problem, mi niña?”_

_She jammed the pistol into the holster that hung at her hip and exhaled greatly. Tears of seething defeat welled in her eyes, and she tucked her chin down into her collarbone and hid her face from her adopted father out of shame. To show him her disappointment in herself was beyond what she could fathom to do; she’d had enough of crying in front of him, and yet somehow she couldn’t toughen herself up just yet. The tears threatened to spill over and trickle down her cheeks, and she swallowed hard at the lump in her throat and did her best to not let them be shed. Coupled with the affectionate name he’d given her recently, she figured he was surely disappointed in her as well._

_“I can’t do this,” she somehow said through her sorrow. Her throat hurt terribly; she swallowed again and sniffed._

_“Yes, you can,” Ricketts reassured. He took several thoughtful inhales of his cigarette and released a cloud of smoke as he studied her slouched stance. “You know what your problem is?”_

_She sniffed and mumbled, “What’s that?”_

_Landon smirked as nostalgia flooded his mind’s eye. “You’re just like me when I was your age. You’re too hot-headed. You’ve got to get past that, kiddo, if you wanna be any bit of good with a gun and start going after bounties. You’re over-thinking things when it should all just stay simple. Just aim and pull the trigger, niña. Focus, aim, and shoot. That’s all there is to it.”_

_She clamped her mouth shut and continued to stare down at her boots._

_“Here,” the old man said as he stood up out of his seat. He trudged up to her and put the cigarette in his mouth as he came to stand behind and slightly off to her right side. With the smoke tucked between his lips, he uttered, “Quit feelin’ sorry for yourself and lift that chin up. C’mon, bring up that gun.”_

_With lackluster, Maddie drew her gun and held it up._

_Taking a step closer, the grand master clasped his hand over hers and helped bring up the gun further, correcting her and holding it steady. “Now, when you shoot, don’t lock your elbow. You’ll wanna have a little give to it, but don’t stand there with a limp arm. You’ll want to be ready for that recoil, or else you’re gonna end up knocking yourself out. When you shoot, squeeze the trigger, don’t jerk it back.” He took his hand off hers only to place it comfortingly on her shoulder. “And **relax**. You’re tense as hell, you’re gettin’ mad, and that’s affecting how you shoot.” He took a step away and beckoned with a small wave of his hand. “Let me see you put your anger to good use and shoot straight for once. Focus, aim, and shoot. That’s all there is to it.”_

_“I’m **tryin’** , damn it!”_

_“Maddie…”_

_She pursed her lips and exhaled haughtily through her nose. “Sorry.” She could feel his eyes on her face as she blinked away the tears and looked down the barrel of the pistol she held weakly in her hand. Her index finger hugged the trigger, but she did not yet pull it as she aimed at the bottle twenty yards away._

_“Be strong, girl,” Ricketts added softly. His voice held a tint of affection and comfort to it as he added, “Be strong for your mama now. I know you can do this.”_

_The tears reappeared in her eyes at the mention of her late mother, and as she gripped the gun tightly in her grasp and steadied her aim, she swallowed thickly and blinked in rapid succession. The tears eventually disappeared, and in their stead, her resolve returned._

_“Para Mamá,” she whispered and pulled the trigger._

_The bottle shattered brilliantly into a thousand shards as if in glorious answer to her heartfelt proclamation. She felt Landon’s warm, calloused hand on her shoulder._

_“Muy bien, mi niña,” her adopted father said proudly. “Muy bien.”_

 

The cool evening breeze was enough to make Maddie shiver as she reached the top of the nearest outlook. She was confronted by a lonely Gatling gun; it looked as cold and unwelcome as any other beastly weapon, yet she pressed on and stepped up from the ladder. The wind tossed her hair and duster about, and in an effort to shield herself of it, she lowered herself beneath the wall of the look-out. She shivered yet again as she wrapped her duster tightly around herself. The evening proved almost too much of a reminder that winter was on its way. With that grudging thought slipping into her mind, Maddie leaned her back against the wall and tilted her head back to stare angrily up at the stars.

“Why is everything wrong?” she asked, not knowing whether that question was directed toward herself or to the night sky. “Why has it all gone to shit?”

The sky remained silent and still just as it always remained, leaving the unanswered question lingering in the air for her to ponder on. With an angry huff, Maddie turned her gaze away from the sky and let her eyes wander about the landscape. Looking out across the San Luis river and beyond, her mind began to pound out a million questions that she knew would only remain unanswered, just like her first one. Frustrated, she ripped off her hat and ran her fingers through her hair, starting at the roots and combing them through to the ends. It did nothing to soothe her, this gesture of self-calming, but she didn’t know what to do otherwise.

 _Why did I ruin everything?_ she asked herself. She sniffed and let out a shaky exhale, feeling the weight of the severity of the entire situation crush her, now that she was alone. _It’s like I didn’t learn my lesson the last time I went after a big bounty. Randall stole my virginity, and I almost died, and though this is nothing compared to the past, I have once again brought a terrible fate onto myself and Jack._ She scoffed. _Hell, it’s no wonder Jack’s pissed at me._ A deep frown began to tug down on the corners of her mouth. _Have I really been selfish all along?_

She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them against her. She rested her chin on her knees and stared at the Gatling gun without looking at it as she thought on. _Have I really drug myself and my husband into so terrible a mess for something so petty as wanting to relive the old days? Did I seriously not consider Jack while making my decisions and thereby thoughtlessly dragging him along? I_ know _he’s uncomfortable being here in Mexico. Fuck, he’s_ been _that way ever since we left the ranch and crossed the border._ She hugged her knees tighter and furrowed her brow. _But how was I to know things would go terribly wrong? I didn’t realize La Phantasma would go so far as to try to eradicate the entire population of Mexico in her quest for death._ She brought her brow to her knees and rested her head against them with a heavy sigh. _Maybe Jack was right. Maybe we’ve already lost before it all began._

Resolutely, though, she brought her head back up from her knees. Her gaze pierced the glinting Gatling as she thought, _But we can’t just give up like a lame horse and fall over and let nature take its course on us. We’ve taken on too many bounties to simply give up the moment we’re presented with a_ real _challenge. I sure as shit won’t let that happen._

Her thoughts receded for a time, and when she grew tired of staring at the gun, she turned her attention downward at her boots, and inwardly at herself. Self-pity and shame began to eat away at her like an insatiable parasite. Once again, she hugged her knees tightly and rested her forehead on her kneecaps as she inwardly inspected herself and her flaws, and quite quickly, her thoughts began to race once more.

 _Have I really been selfish? Is Jack right?_ She exhaled through her nose and shook her head while rolling her eyes. _Who the fuck am I kidding? Jack’s usually right, anyways. He knows me better than I know myself._

To busy and comfort herself, she dove a hand into one of her inner pockets of her duster and retrieved a match and a cigar. It took several tries to light it, as the wind kept conspiring against her, but once the cigar was lit, she puffed gratefully on it and released great tendrils of blue smoke. She watched the wind snatch the smoke and rip it into nothingness as it stole it away from her on cold gusts. The bright red cheery at the end of the cigar was her light source atop the look-out. The sliver of a moon could be seen above; however, it didn’t shed any light down upon her and the rest of the world. Hastily, she puffed on her cigar then, but as she released the smoke, she silently berated herself for smoking so fast. _Take your time_ , she reminded herself with a roll of her eyes. _You know it’s the only way to smoke a cigar._

She studied her cigar carefully, noticing how well-packed and rolled it was, and she mulled on the taste of it as it lingered pleasantly on her palette. The smoke fought to caress her face before it was snatched away from her by the wind. Maddie sighed and looked up at the stars. She felt her eyes brim with tears of longing and disappointment.

“Oh, Landon,” she sighed, “I wish you were here. You’d have a thing or two to say to me and Jack right now. Hell, we both know he’d listen to you more than me. I wish you could’ve met him at least. I wonder what you’d think of him, and of us.” She chortled bitterly as she brought the cigar back to her mouth. “Guess we’ll never find out…”

Her words drifted away from her like the smoke from her cigar, never to fall upon any other ears but hers. She sat smoking in silence as the breeze whispered incomprehensible secrets to her and played with her long hair like a bold, flirtatious admirer. Quite soon, the chilly night took its toll on her, and after an hour or so of silent pondering and self-examination, she’d had enough of it all. She stood up, took one last long puff of her cigar, and flicked it out across the fortress wall. She watched the darkness below her swallow her cigar before she put her hat back on, descended the ladder, and made her way towards the main building where she knew he’d be inside waiting for an apology.

 _Might as well get this over with_ , she thought grimly as she walked up the steps and approached the door. Her hand lingered on the door knob, however, as she briefly thought of what she was going to say to her distraught husband. Her mind drew a blank suddenly, and as she struggled to retain what she’d rehearsed in her head minutes ago, she chewed on her lip and glared at the door.

“ _Maldita sea_ ,” she whispered. She frowned and nodded, readying herself for the arduous conversation she knew she’d endure. Preparing herself, she turned the doorknob and pushed open the door.

It wasn’t hard to find Jack: he was the only person sitting in the spacious room at the large table. The electric light above his head cast him in a brooding shadow. He was sitting with his hat pulled down low over his face: only his angry frown and his unkempt facial hair could be seen. In his right hand, he held a cigarette that spat up a curling tendril of smoke. In his left hand, he clutched a half-empty bottle of tequila. Maddie quietly crossed the room and approached him. Her spurs tinkled and her boots thudded loudly as she came to stand before him and the table. The chair shrieked in protest as she slid it out from underneath the table; it creaked as she sat down on it and rested her elbows on the table top. She clasped her cold hands together in front of her and sat studying Jack, waiting for him to speak.

Jack, however, sat silent and still as ever. His anger was palpable for her as it drifted across the table and sat lingering like a wanton visitor. He brought the cigarette to his mouth, took one long, angry drag, and released the smoke in a cloud of frustration. The dragon stirred within his sanctuary of solitude and darkness and sat impatiently waiting for his intruder to take initiative.

Maddie frowned at her mute husband. “Say something, Jack,” she said, finally breaking the silence between them. “C’mon, I know you’ve got plenty to say to me.”

He exchanged the cigarette for the tequila instead, lifting the bottle to his lips and taking a large gulp. He sat the bottle back down with a slight bang.

His wife’s eyes lingered on the half-empty bottle. “I’m surprised you’re not drunk yet.”

“I’m too _pissed_ _off_ to get drunk,” he snapped, finally looking up at her from beneath his hat. The smoke from his cigarette angrily coiled and danced, looking like the twitching tail of a cat.

Maddie merely pursed her lips in response and looked away. The thought of drinking sounded awfully tempting to her, and for a split second, she considered stealing the bottle from him. _No_ , she thought with an internal shake of her head. _No, it would only piss him off further._ Still, she couldn’t help but glance at the bottle he clutched in his left hand with gnarled fingers that resembled the claws of a lion about to attack. The claws were retracted for the time being, but they were still there, waiting for the opportune moment.

“But I know _you’ve_ got somethin’ to say to _me_ ,” Jack said. He flashed his eyebrows at her and waited with pursed lips.

Maddie glared at him and gripped her clasped hands together tightly. “What do you want me to say, Jack?”

“You know _exactly_ what I want, Madeline. Don’t pretend otherwise.” He brought the cigarette to his lips and took another drag. He blew the smoke through his nose this time, a sign that Maddie knew all too well, a sign that meant he was beyond enraged.

To buy herself time, Maddie reached across the table for the tequila. However, Jack anticipated her move and jerked the bottle far beyond her reach.

“You ain’t gonna try and stall by drinking, Maddie.”

“I just wanted a sip is all.”

“I don’t give a _good goddamn_ ‘bout what you want right now.”

“Jerk.”

“Bitch.”

“Give me that damn bottle, Jack.”

He held it further away from her. “ _Hell_ no! Not until you say what needs to be said.”

She sighed through her nose. “Fine, you _pendejo_.” Her mouth twitched as she struggled to throw up the words she’d been meaning to say, the words she and Jack knew needed to be spoken. She unclasped her hands only to clench them into fists on the table as she did her best to push her apology up her throat, form it across her tongue and lips, and vomit it into the open, hungry air between her and her husband. She looked down at the table and bit down on her lip, fighting with herself. At last, as she felt her most vulnerable and weak, she murmured, “I’m sorry.” She sighed and ran a gnarled hand through her long tresses to comfort herself through such an arduous moment. “I’m sorry for everything. You…you were right, Jack. You were right all along. We— ** _I_** got ourselves into some deep shit.”

Jack leaned back in his chair and waited for her to continue.

Maddie took the hint and struggled on. “You’re right. I was wrong to drag us both into this mess and get so neck-deep in shit that we can’t breathe or even act. I was wrong to think I was gonna be able to go back to the past, to the way we were…the way **_I_** was…and relive the good old days. I was a fool to think I could free these people from a pesky criminal and be done with it all and be back at the ranch in no time. But now…now things have really escalated into something even greater, and…I don’t think I can do this on my own now. We need to fix this… ** _I_** need to fix this.”

The pleasure Jack felt in hearing her confession was short-lived as he breathed a sigh of disappointment and shook his head at his wife. “Why did you _have_ to insist we go and get ourselves into a shit-storm in a country that isn’t ours? Weren’t you happy back at home with me? Was I not givin’ you the life you wanted?”

“I’ll always be happy with you no matter where we are. Don’t _ever_ doubt that, darling.”

“But it wasn’t really what you wanted, was it?”

She shrugged and looked off to the side. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

“The truth.”

“I _have been_ , haven’t I? I just said what you wanted to hear, and more. How have I not been truthful?”

Jack nodded. “Yes, you have, but still…”

“Still what?”

“You may have apologized to me, but that doesn’t take into account for the way you handled things.”

Her mouth dropped open. “How do you figure?”

He pointed at her angrily with his cigarette and stated, “You agreed to go on a wild goose chase into a different country after a psychotic bitch for a few thousand bucks, and all before even takin’ me into consideration. It was a stupid and selfish decision on your part to not let me know of your plans. I don’t care if Archer assigned you to this job or bounty or mission or whatever you wanna call it—you should’ve talked to me beforehand. If we’re gonna work together, if we’re gonna _be_ together, then we _have_ _to_ _make decisions_ **_together_**. That’s all there is to it, Maddie.”

Maddie pounded the table with a fist and shouted, “We’ve already established that I was selfish, damn it! Must you continue to bring that point up?”

“ _Yes_ , goddamn it!” Jack yelled back, his voice overshadowing hers.

The couple glowered at each other for a long moment.

“Look,” Jack continued on, his tone steadily softening, “all I’m sayin’ is that you agreed to marry me four years ago, and when you did, you and I made many vows.”

“I’m not going back on any of my vows, Jack,” his wife retorted with a shake of her head.

He lifted a hand. “Let me finish.” After a brief second to take a swig of tequila, he continued, “I’m just askin’ that you make decisions with me from now on. Hell, we were doin’ great back at Beecher’s Hope. We’ve had a good four years together, haven’t we?”

Maddie nodded. “Of course.”

“Then why would you go off and agree to do such a thing without my say-so, much less drag us down to Mexico and have us end up in a tight fuckin’ spot with no chance in hell of winning?”

“Because it’s my goddamned right to have the freedom to choose and do whatever I wish!” she angrily blurted out as she stood up out of her chair. The chair’s legs shrieked as it slid back on the floor and almost tipped back. “When I agreed to marry you, we also made a decision to not bring the other into a binding situation. The day I agreed to take your name and be your wife is also the day that you agreed that you would NEVER restrain me into the same situation my mother was when she was alive and with my father. We agreed that we’d make our marriage work better than my parents’, that we’d be happier than them.” She narrowed her eyes at her husband. “Or do you not remember that?”

Jack nodded as he looked up at her with steadfast resolve. “I remember that day perfectly, Maddie, as well as our wedding day. Don’t think I forget such important moments as those.” He took several thoughtful drags off his cigarette before blowing the smoke through his mouth with a heavy sigh. “I try to treat you the best I can. Haven’t I been doin’ that?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“And haven’t I given you the life you wanted, the life we helped build when I got back to Beecher’s Hope after I was pardoned all those years back? Maddie, I’ve given you the utmost freedom anyone could be given in a marriage: I’ve let you ride around Blackwater and all around West Elizabeth whenever you wanted, I’ve let you go after bounties and have even helped you on some of them. The fact that we don’t have kids says a lot—you’ve been the main reason why. I never once pressured you into havin’ children, and I’m okay with that, as I’m sure you are. So what I’m askin’ is: why did you feel like you had to go behind my back and go after this ridiculous bounty just for the sake of relivin’ the old days?”

Maddie’s mouth remained open for a time as she stood staring down at him. Her eyes searched his, as if she were looking for the answer to his question in him. Doubtless that she’d never find it, she looked down at her clenched fists that remained on the table and brought them up. She opened her hands and searched instead in her palms, as if willing her answer to magically appear into them. She took off her hat and ran her hands through her hair as she sat back down. A heavy sigh issued through her open mouth, and she shook her head, not even knowing where to start searching within her mind.

Jack grinned and extended the half-empty bottle of tequila to her across the table. She took it from him and drank several hearty gulps of it. Without batting an eye, she handed him the bottle back, wiped her mouth with her duster sleeve, and sighed again.

“Better?” he asked.

“Better,” she murmured. She looked him in the eyes and snorted derisively. “You must think you’re married to a child, with the way I’ve been acting lately.”

He reached across the table and took her hand in his. He grinned at her, his brown eyes sparkling with adoration. He lifted her hand up to his lips and kissed the top of it. “No. I’m married to a beautiful woman with a wild, untamed spirit and a heart of gold.”

She smiled and joked, “So at last we know the truth.”

“I’ve always known it.”

She interlaced her fingers with his. “You smooth-talker, you.”

He shrugged. “I try to be.”

She rolled her eyes as she grabbed the bottle and took another swig.


	6. Ambush

Casa Madrugada seemed eerily quiet that evening; aside from the gusts of wind brought on by a thunderstorm that loomed across Nuevo Paraiso, all was silent. Maddie leaned on the balcony railing with her elbows and her right boot propped up on the bottom as she peered out across Mexico’s vast landscape. While scanning the multitudinous mesas that riddled the part of the country, she spotted a small band of wild horses loping nearby Mesa de Luna. The sage brush and the desert grasses swayed in the breeze brought on by the oncoming storm; the gusts of wind struck her clothes, face, and hair powerfully. It almost seemed too surreal, especially since she, her husband, and twenty-five Mexican soldiers had ended the lives of the criminals not but five hours ago and drug their bodies out in the desert for the wolves and coyotes to feast on. The brothel was just as ragged and in disarray when Jack, Maddie, and half of Gonzalez’s men arrived. Together in a storm of bullets and manpower, they had cleansed the area of _La Phantasma’s_ men without serious casualties. Shockingly, only ten or so of her followers had stationed themselves to secure their dominion over the place, and the gunfight ended so quickly that it almost didn’t seem satisfying. Still, it was a victory—Mexico’s army had reclaimed a piece of its land back from the hands of outlaws, saving it from further molestation. Maddie sighed through her nose, troubled and in doubt over the short battle that had sealed their victory earlier that day.

As another gust of wind swirled around her, she lifted her face to it, letting it pick up her hair and toss it about powerfully. The smell of rain reached her nostrils as the gust engulfed her, and the cool air made her shiver. She squinted as she looked further off in the distance, and sure enough, she saw grey sheets of rain drenching the mesas. Very soon, she and Jack would have to retreat to their room they had claimed an hour ago.

Behind her, a door opened, and a strong arm wrapped itself around her waist. Maddie didn’t have to look over to know it was Jack. Husband and wife glanced affectionately at each other before staring out across the mesas and the grass-spotted desert.

“Looks like it’s gonna storm pretty soon,” Jack noted softly as he pulled her closer to him.

Maddie nodded. She looked back at him with a serious countenance. “Jack, don’t you think it was a bit too easy for us to retake Casa Madrugada today? Didn’t it feel like…like it was staged?”

Jack shrugged. “Yeah, I was thinkin’ the same thing. There certainly weren’t near enough people here to keep this place guarded. I mean, we rode down here ready for one hell of a shoot-out, and all we got was a lousy duel, really. But hey, we took this place back from _La Phantasma_.”

Maddie frowned as she looked back out across the desert. “It feels like we were handed this place.”

Jack frowned as well as he silently dwelled on her words. It was true: the gunfight wasn’t much of anything, even after a day of planning, preparing, and riding out to Casa Madrugada. Still, it was a victory nonetheless. “Hey,” he said as he pulled her closer, “just think of it as a success. For once, we’ve got the upper hand here, and I say that’s reason enough to be grateful that things have worked out.” He kissed her cheek. “You were right, anyways.”

She blinked and looked back to him.

“I said we didn’t have a damn chance, or at least it was startin’ to look like it, but you said we can still fight. We can still win this thing, and look at what’s happened. So you were right: we are on the up, Maddie.”

“I’m glad to see that there’s hope in all this, even though I don’t think we should be this confident yet in our victory.”

He cupped the side of her face and held it there, staring into her eyes. “Don’t say that. Every little chance that we can succeed in winning is one step closer to bringin’ in this crazy bitch. It might not be the greatest win just yet, but it’s a start.”

A warm smile spread across Maddie’s lips as she brought up her arms and wrapped them around her husband’s neck. “And just think: when this is all over, you and I can go back home and live in peace once again.”

Jack cocked an eyebrow expectedly at her. “And no more bounty hunts, right?”

She shook her head. “No more bounty hunts.”

He blinked. “I’m amazed you’re agreein’ to this.”

Maddie shrugged sadly and sighed. “What else am I to do when there’s no more bounties to go after, when there isn’t as much crime as there used to be and all the land’s become “civilized” as they all say?”

“What about Archer’s offer? Would you take up on it and be Blackwater’s first woman law officer?”

She glanced to the side and shook her head indecisively. “Hell if I know. It doesn’t seem too appealing of a job for me, you know?” She looked back up at him and furrowed her brow. “Why are you saying this? Do you want me to join Archer’s law enforcement or something? I thought you were against that.”

It was his turn to be skeptical as he shrugged again and explained, “Well, this whole… _ordeal_ has made me more open to things, I suppose.” He studied her carefully with a pained expression as he continued, “Maddie, I _hate_ seein’ you miserable. You know that. I just don’t want you to think you have to give up what you’ve been doin’ practically your whole life. I realize now that you just can’t tame the wild filly, no matter how many times you try to throw the saddle on. There’s always that spark, that spirit that never goes away, and Maddie, I know you’ve got that in you, and I don’t want to see that disappear: that’s one of the things that I love about you.” He leaned his head down and rested his forehead against hers so that they were looking into each other’s eyes. “I don’t want that spark inside you to go away, not when it’s what makes you who you are.”

She smiled graciously up at him as she leaned in to kiss him.

An earth-quaking thunderclap nearby startled them out of their moment; they flinched and looked directly above them. The sky above was a swirling dark-grey abyss of storm clouds. Not two seconds had they looked up that fat droplets of rain quickly began to be shed upon them and the rest of Casa Madrugada. Lightning flashed off to the side, startling them further, and without spoken consent, they retreated into their room hand in hand.

The moment Jack closed the door behind him, the clouds released a torrential downpour. Chuckling, he took off his hat and duster and hung them on the coat rack beside the door. “We got inside just in time.”

Maddie removed her coat and hat and hung them on the rack as well. A shiver wracked her body, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she sat on the bed. She looked at the door, noticing the lightning show that flashed through the corners of the threshold. The ceiling and floor rattled from the force of the booming thunderclaps as they sounded off like cannons. “If there’s one thing I don’t miss about Mexico, it’s the damn storms. They can get rather nasty down here.”

Jack blinked as he sat down beside her. He fumbled with his boots as he tried to pull them off. “Really? Shouldn’t a desert not have storms?”

“Well, yes, but when they _do_ happen, they’re horrible. You definitely don’t want to be caught out in the open when it rains like this. I’ve heard of many _pendejos_ who’ve gotten struck by lightning out in the desert.” She smirked as she watched him struggle with his boots. “You need a little help there, _gringo_?”

He flicked an annoyed glance back up at her as he pulled off his boots. “You’re just never empty of sass, ain’t you?”

She shrugged, shivering all the while. “I do what I can, Jack. You should know this by now. How many years have we been married?”

“Too damn many,” he joked as he sat back up and scooted closer to her with his arms open. He beckoned her towards him. Despite his satirical retort, she smirked and leaned into his embrace. He kissed her forehead as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders in an attempt to warm her up.

“Besides, wasn’t it you who said to not change just now?” she sneered as she cuddled closer to his chest.

He sighed with excessive disappointment and rolled his eyes. “Yeah…….Damn it.”

For a long moment, they were silent in each other’s arms listening to the heavy rainfall upon the roof. The wind knocked upon their door, beckoning to be let in. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed. Nearby, the fireplace glowed with the small flames Jack had created not but ten minutes ago, illuminating the small room with a romantic orange light and casting shadows upon the floor and walls. Across from them, on the opposite side of the room, a desk sat up against the wall. Beside the desk, a trunk sat on the floor holding their accoutrements within. Their temporary living quarters was nowhere near what they would consider home, but for now, it would have to do.

Quite suddenly, amidst the crackling thunderclaps and the sheets of rain, Maddie voiced, “So what is there to do, now that we are here to wait for the next step?”

Jack smirked sensually at her and flashed his eyebrows.

Maddie chuckled and pushed him away. “You are just unbelievable!”

He laughed and allowed himself to be thrown back onto the bed with his legs dangling over the side. “Well, what else are we gonna do besides sit around and wait like we’re supposed to?”

His wife shook her head as she leaned over him, her hair falling past her shoulders and blanketing his chest. Taking on a more serious demeanor, she looked him in the eyes and said, “Well, it’s obvious: we’re gonna hold our ground here while we wait. But what happens if Reyes and his men don’t show up soon, or the train for that matter?”

Jack momentarily put his lascivious thoughts on hold as he pondered on her inquiries. The plan that he and his wife, alongside Captain Gonzalez and several of his generals, was risky. They’d convened several days ago and had concluded that a telegraph was the best way to reach Reyes and explain to him their situation. The telegraph had also stated that they were in urgent need of supplies, as well as armed men if they were to withstand _La Phantasma_ ’s threats should she try to decimate El Presidio. Within that same day the telegraph was sent, they received word directly from President Reyes that he would send reinforcements, as well as a train full of supplies and the citizens of Escalera. Apparently, Reyes didn’t wish to abandon Escalera and its people; therefore, his best course of action was to have the commoners escorted on the train with a handful of soldiers should something go amiss. They would convene at Casa Madrugada, where Reyes and the rest of the Mexican army would be waiting, as well as where the train would stop. From there, wagons would be needed, provided by El Presidio of course, in order to haul the citizens and supplies to the fortress. If all went according to plan, the Mexican army would be able to withstand an attack should one be launched. More importantly, President Reyes had become personally invested in the matter.

As he thought about all this, Jack shook his head and stared up at the ceiling. “I don’t know how this is all gonna work. What if _La Phantasma_ finds out?”

“How could she know of our plans? The telegraph went straight to Reyes, and we were standing in the presence of Mexican soldiers while it was being sent. What’s there to worry about?”

He looked her in the eyes and said gravely, “You remember Jesús? Remember what happened to him? We told him he was safe to speak, and he got his throat slit alongside his family and got hung up like hogs in a slaughter house.”

Maddie clamped her mouth shut and looked off to the side, unable to hold his penetrative gaze as she recalled the horrible memories that were irrevocably burnt into her brain.

“What if somethin’ like that happens now? You remember what Jesús said: _La Phantasma_ has spies and assassins everywhere.”

Maddie looked back at him with a cynical expression and a cocked eyebrow. “Jack, this is the _Mexican army_ we’re talking about here.”

“That’s just it. Do you honestly trust them? ‘Cause I sure as hell don’t.”

“To be fair, Jack, you don’t trust **_anyone_** , _especially_ the law.”

“True.”

“So, what, are you suggesting there could be a mole in El Presidio?”

He shrugged. “I’m just sayin’ we all need to be extra careful, that’s all.”

“I agree. God only knows what’ll happen within the next few days, if not the next few weeks.” She blinked when Jack grabbed her arms and eased her down onto his chest.

“Let’s try not to think about all that,” Jack cooed as he wrapped his arms around her.

Maddie gave him a knowing smirk. “You’re not giving up on this, huh?”

“Well,” he explained coolly as he wove his fingers through her hair at the base of her neck, “I figured we won’t be doin’ much of anything, not while this storm keeps blowin’.” He pulled her closer to him and kissed her slowly, passionately. He briefly pulled away and added, “And I reckon both of us are wantin’ a reprieve from all this bloodshed.” He looked her sincerely in the eyes. “Maddie, when’s the last time you and I have been alone like this?”

“Not since we were home,” she answered with a sad sigh.

“Exactly. So let’s make do with the time we’ve been given. We’ve got all night to spend together, and we’ve got all day tomorrow to sleep it off.”

She laughed softly. Their noses brushed as she locked eyes with him. “You drive a hard bargain, mister.”

He smiled coyly as he rolled over on top of her. “Oh, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

Outside, the thunder crackled and boomed. Lightning lit up the room in a flash of brilliant white, illuminating two figures that, after a few minutes, moved and molded into one harmonious being.

 

*             *             *

 

The spiraling strands of smoke from the cigarette danced above them and floated up towards the ceiling in a white cloud. The rain hadn’t let up once in the hours since its conception; a more perfect orchestral accompaniment couldn’t have been asked for as the young married couple laid in bed naked and in each other’s arms. Jack held the cigarette far enough away from him and Maddie, letting his arm fall off the edge of the bed and brush against the dirty floor. However, he brought it back up to his lips and, in between pants, took a quick drag.

“That was _long_ over-due, Maddie,” he said as he released the cloud of smoke.

“Indeed, it was,” she sighed, her head on his bare chest and her right hand on his stomach. Her eyelids fluttered in ecstasy. The absolute calm she felt after every time engulfed her, making her numb to all other emotions except for pure joy and a closeness towards her husband the likes of which she couldn’t describe with mere words. Her head felt heavy as she sat up to kiss his chest; her lips traveled up his neck and to his lips, where they remained for a long moment, before she returned her head to where it had previously laid. Lazily, she brought up her right leg and draped it across his thighs.

Jack hung his arm over her bare shoulders and back and kissed her forehead. Being careful not to flick any ashes from the cigarette he held, he took another drag and watched as the swirling smoke clouds dissipated around the ceiling and into nothingness. The fireplace still threw an orange aura upon the room, though the blaze had begun to wane. He glanced over at the hearth and saw the small pile of firewood that he knew he’d have to toss in quite soon. However, every fiber of his being adamantly refused to move—the ecstasy he’d felt moments ago still intoxicated him, and he wanted nothing more than to continue holding his wife in his arms.

“I wish we could stay like this for a week,” Maddie whispered to him.

“I know,” he agreed and held her closer. “We can stay like this as long as you like. We can do whatever you wish.”

“What about tomorrow?”

He shrugged. “Don’t know. We’ll face it when it comes. ‘Til then, let’s enjoy this night while it lasts.”

She nodded and cuddled her face deeper into his chest. “I can do that.” With a sensual grin, she leaned up, propping herself up on her left elbow as she kissed his chest and made her way down his stomach. She smirked when she heard him sigh. Her hands explored him as her lips moved back up to his chest, his neck, and finally to his lips. Jack dropped the cigarette onto the dirt floor, letting it die out without regret as his attention was drawn to more important things.

 

*             *             *

 

Within days, all traces of the storm that had rattled the brothel and the landscape around it had all but disappeared. The heat returned with a vengeance, making it unbearable to be out under the scalding sun to keep watch for _La Phantasma_ ’s men should she feel the need to reclaim Casa Madrugada. However, all was still in the days after the storm, too quiet perhaps. A hush fell over the men and the bounty hunters as they kept a harsh vigilance over their small reclaimed fortress; all were too hell-bent on watching and waiting for the train and Reyes’ cavalry to arrive. As hours turned to days, worry began to creep into the bodies of all who kept an eye out for the rest of Mexico’s army and the supplies and surviving civilians from Escalera to arrive.

It didn’t take long for Maddie and Jack to grow impatient, even though they spent the morning after their night of pleasure in bed without a care in the world. Nevertheless, what started out as a rather welcomed mini-vacation and privacy turned into weary expectation. A watch was carried out in two to three hour shifts; Maddie and Jack did their fair share alongside the soldiers, but when it was quite apparent that something was amiss, their anxiety began to eat away at them like an insatiable parasite.

Finally, on the morning of the fourth day, the Marstons had had quite enough. Calling everyone together in the courtyard beside the decaying fountain, plans were made and soon set into motion. Supplies were gathered, horses were saddled, and before mid-morning, Jack and Maddie, alongside four soldiers, rode out of Casa Madrugada in search for the train and the cavalry that they were promised to meet days ago. Though there were only six men from the army stationed at the brothel, they had no other choice but to split their numbers in order to search for the train. They kept their horses at a steady lope alongside the train tracks; all eyes were fixed before them for any sort of sign that the train was off in the distance.

By mid-day, they’d ridden past Ajave Viejo and Las Hermanas, even pausing to stop at what was left of the monastery. The structure of the protective wall still stood, although large chunks of it had cracked and fallen down to the ground in a sad display of decay. Inside, however, the church itself was burnt to the ground, all cherished things within destroyed alongside the building that fateful day Las Hermanas was attacked. Wanting nothing more to do with the awful reminders of their failures, Maddie and Jack spurred their horses into a lope down the railroad tracks towards Chuparosa.

As they rode their sweating mounts up towards the steady incline to Chuparosa, from out of nowhere, a great black looming mass sat atop the train tracks huffing and puffing out smoke, its long body stretched out exhaustedly and taking up a substantial amount of track. The train sat prone on the tracks that led out of Chuparosa and down the hill. It was several hundred yards away from the hill, far from the crags and hilly landscape that hugged the town sitting atop the large chunk of land.

 _“¡Mira, el tren!_ ” one of the soldiers cried out from behind them. Abreast of him, the other soldiers gave shouts of victory and urged their horses faster.

Though Jack and Maddie were just as elated, they shared skeptical looks and pulled their horses to a stop four hundred yards away from the hissing, smoke-producing beast. The soldiers pulled up their horses abruptly, not expecting their leaders to stop when they were so close to reaching their goal. As the horses panted and blew, the group sat staring straight ahead at the train out in the open desert of Perdido.

Jack grunted with surprise as he looked through his binoculars. “The tracks are fine, but the damn thing’s just sittin’ there. What the hell?”

Maddie frowned as she glanced over at her husband and gestured for the binoculars. “I don’t like this,” he growled as he handed them to her.

“Do you see _La Phantasma_ anywhere?” one of the soldiers asked.

The group swiveled their heads about in search for the supposed culprit. Nothing but barren desert land could be seen; all that was disrupting the peace was the grumbling train and the six riders staring back at it from afar.

“This is strange,” Maddie noted and handed the binoculars back to her husband.

“We need to get that train to Casa Madrugada,” a soldier barked.

“We know,” another one growled back in annoyance, “but we don’t need to rush in there and get ourselves killed.”

“Well spoken,” Jack said. He looked to his wife and asked grimly, “What if it’s a trap?”

Maddie pursed her lips and exhaled through her nose. She stared at the train in the distance and shook her head, knowing there was no other way around their situation. She transferred her horse’s reins to her left hand as she drew her right pistol. “It is undoubtedly a trap, but what other choice do we have? Like Pedro said, we _must_ get that train to Casa Madrugada.” Without another word, she squeezed her heels against Gypsy’s sides, and the exhausted horse walked forward.

With guns at the ready, the group approached the train with bated breath. Sensing their riders’ unease, the horses began taking timid steps and tossing their heads despite their enervation. The ride up to the train was painfully tense and slow, making the group even more nervous.

As the group finally reached the train, nothing happened. Everything remained still, save for the engine and the smoke it spat up in great plumes; it rattled and rumbled in complaint as it impatiently waited to be set free down the tracks. The soldiers and the bounty hunters rounded the train, trotting and loping their horses around the length of it and back around in search for the supplies and the citizens that Reyes claimed to be sending them. In the cars, specifically up front where the people would’ve been, there wasn’t a single soul within. No trace of the civilians were present as they rode up and down the sides of the train. Cautiously, Maddie and Jack opened several cargo cars, their guns at the ready of course, and found the supplies had been untouched. All the boxes of ammunition, food, clothing, and other accoutrements were still intact, still sealed away in their shipping crates and boxes.

As Jack closed the cargo door, Maddie sat atop her horse looking about in worry, her gun still in her hand. “This isn’t right, Jack,” she stated shakily. “Where are the civilians?”

Jack shook his head as he mounted Sundance. “I don’t have a clue. Maybe we should keep searchin’ the cars? They might be in there.”

“Why would they be in cargo cars? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“The train must’ve been attacked. Where else would they be hidin’?” He reined his horse around hers and urged the stallion further down the train.

With each cargo car searched, their worry had steadily increased. As they searched the back of the train, the soldiers searched the front, and when they did, their deepest fears were realized.

 _“¡Señor y señora!”_ one of the soldiers cried out. _“¡Ven aqui! ¡Rapido!”_

Jack and Maddie galloped their horses back to the front of the train and quickly dismounted. They clambered up into the first passenger car and were met with a horrific scene: every woman, man, and child had been slaughtered. The soldiers who had been ordered to protect them lay alongside the fallen commoners; death didn’t bother to acknowledge the high class from the low. Bullet holes riddled the bodies; blood was splattered about the car and had pooled in one large puddle that covered the floor, giving the enclosed atmosphere a horrific stench. The dead littered the walkway, looking as if they’d been dumped down carelessly in great heaps upon the floor to keep them out of immediate sight from outside the windows. A moment of horror and bloodshed had been frozen in time, presented to the bounty hunters and the soldiers in the most grisly, stomach-churning way possible.

 _“¡Hijo de puta!”_ Maddie swore viciously. Her hands clenched into fists as she looked around at the carnage. “That unholy demon of a woman will pay for this! These people didn’t need to die, not like this.” Hot tears of rage enveloped her eyesight, blinding her momentarily, and she blinked them away as best she could.

The dead, petrified eyes of a small child bore into Jack’s gaze as he looked out at the dead. The girl had to have been no more than five or six, with the most beautiful long black hair and daintiest of bodies in a flowing blue dress that was now speckled with blood and carnage the likes of which the child should’ve never seen nor suffered. With a shiver of horror and disgust, Jack turned away and escorted his wife back outside. The soldier who had come upon the massacre followed closely behind.

The other three soldiers stood waiting for them beside their horses. All six hung their heads in despair for the terrible price the civilians and soldiers had paid. The failure at not arriving on time weighed heavily upon their hearts.

“So what now?” Maddie sniffed. She swallowed hard and lifted her teary gaze up to the five men.

“We get the train to its destination,” Pedro said and handed his horse’s reins to the nearest fellow soldier. “Take my horse and lead him behind yours. I will get the train going again.”

The soldier took only two steps before he was shot down; the bullet tore through his head, killing him instantly. His body dropped to the ground just as another shot rang out from out of nowhere. Before anyone else had their wits about them and their guns ready, two other soldiers were brutally gunned down in similar fashion. Maddie, Jack, and the last remaining soldier hastily mounted up and aimed their sights in the direction of the bullets.

Seemingly materializing from out of nowhere, off in the distance, a cavalry of twenty men charged toward them. Leading the charge was none other than _La Phantasma_ on her pale steed _Muerte_. The albino stallion’s eyes were wide as he barreled towards them; his rider stared at them with murderous intent past her black and white skull makeup and hooded black robe. The long barrel of a rifle glinted evilly in the afternoon sun as she pointed it directly at Jack.

Jack and Maddie had reined their horses around and kicked them into a gallop alongside the train just in time to avoid _La Phantasma’s_ bullet; however, the last remaining soldier and his horse were overtaken by the storm of bullets that erupted. The chestnut gelding tumbled beneath his rider only to roll over on top of him and end his split second of agony just seconds after being shot through the stomach.

Sundance and Gypsy sprinted alongside the train tracks with renewed strength as fear and adrenaline pumped through their bodies; the whites of their eyes shown plainly as they galloped wildly across the flat terrain back towards Las Hermanas.

 _“¡MATARLOS!”_ _La Phantasma_ roared. “KILL THE BOUNTY HUNTERS!”

“Shit!” Maddie shrieked and kicked her horse hard. Gypsy responded with a burst of speed. Maddie glanced over at her husband, who rode beside her, and was met with the same look of horror as Jack met her gaze.

She glanced back at their pursuers, and she gave a wail of dismay as _La Phantasma_ and her men were closing the gap between them. They had fanned out into a long line and were forming into a half-circle. They opened fire, and Maddie and Jack reined their horses from side to side to evade the bullets. The Marstons were able to gun down three men, but it was for naught as _La Phantasma_ and her remaining men rushed up to meet them.

All seemed lost, now that death ran at their heels—the desert was vast and would undoubtedly provide no escape for Maddie and Jack. They knew their horses wouldn’t be able to run for much longer, and as their mounts began to foam and pant, husband and wife exchange terrified glances, knowing all too well that the end was near.

Unexpectedly, another chorus of gunfire joined in the cacophony that echoed across Perdido just then; the thunder of horses charging deafened the ears of the bounty hunters and their attackers. Screams of excruciation sounded as, one by one, _La Phantasma’s_ men fell dead out of their saddles; several horses fell in the wave of bullets. Arriving just in time was Reyes and his cavalry of two hundred men. He and his men formed a massive, impenetrable wall as they surged forward from out behind the crags of Chuparosa.

Pandemonium ensued as Jack and Maddie, alongside their attacker, reined their spooked horses back under control as they swiveled their heads about to pinpoint where the bullets rained down from. As her men fell dead all around her, the _anarquista_ howled with shock and rage. Somehow, in the midst of all the chaos, the enraged woman met gazes with her prey—she gave them a vindictive snarl before she reined _Muerte_ around back towards Torquemada. With an angry wail of defeat, she spurred her white wonder forward. The speed of her stallion was unmatched and astounding, and in no time at all, she had disappeared like a ghost.

In the next moment, Jack and Maddie were surrounded by Reyes and his men. Half of the cavalry had swarmed around them; the other half gathered around the train.

 _“¡Baje tus pistolas! ¡Manos arriba!”_ a commanding officer shouted as he and the all the soldiers around them pointed their guns at their chests.

Still pumping with adrenaline and fear, Jack and Maddie blinked and looked about them, utterly confused but relieved in a strange way. When they didn’t do as they were commanded, the officer repeated himself, this time more aggressively. Immediately, Maddie holstered her pistols and brought her hands up. Seeing this, Jack did the same, not knowing what had been shouted at him twice.

“Who are you?” the officer finally demanded in English from atop his panting black and white pinto. His pristine uniform and medals shone brilliantly in the desert sunlight; the reflection off his rifle’s barrel blinded Jack and made him squint.

“Jack Marston,” he said loud and clear.

A hush fell over the soldiers; many eyes stared at him in a strange sense of reverence.

The officer nodded to Maddie and asked sharply, “And who is she?”

Before he could answer, a loud voice boomed, _“¡Basta! ¡Bajar tus pistolas, idiotas!_ This _hombre_ is a friend to _Mexíco_!”

All firearms were lowered and placed back into their holsters; the circle of soldiers stood back at attention. To Jack’s right, the soldiers parted respectfully as hoof beats thudded. His eyes snagged on the dapple-grey Andalusian stallion and his brilliant black saddle and bridle—the tack was adorned with the finest gold plating and what appeared to be diamonds along the headstall, saddle horn, breast collar, skirt, and stirrups. The man astride the horse was no exception of gaudy wealth and status. He wore a regal military uniform, with white pants, black boots, a red and black jacket adorned with as many medals as it could possibly hold, and a navy-blue sash around his waist. A brilliant sword and two pistols hung at his hips. As the regal man pulled back on the reins, his mighty steed tossed his head, his long black mane floating in the air. Horse and rider were pompous mirrors of each other.

The man looked at Jack as he rested his hands atop the golden saddle horn. Jack returned the gaze, briefly glancing over the man’s features: he was handsome and trim, muscular and stout, the makings of a leader that he undoubtedly was; his goatee was neatly trimmed, and his semi-long hair slicked back; his heavy brow and deep-set, dark eyes gave him an imposing appearance.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t come in time to save your men,” the man said somberly. “Are you hurt?”

Jack shook his head, taken aback by the presence of royalty. Still, he stubbornly refused to admire the man before him, even with all his riches and power. “You must be Abraham Reyes.”

He nodded and rose his chin proudly. “ _Sí, yo soy el Presidente_.”

“Thanks for savin’ our hides. We would’ve been killed if you didn’t show up like you did.”

Reyes bowed his head. “The pleasure’s all mine,” he looked out past his soldiers’ heads where _La Phantasma_ disappeared, “though I would’ve been even more pleased to have finally killed that _puta_ myself and end my country’s suffering.”

“You and me both,” Jack answered. Breaking away from the conversation, he looked over at Maddie, who met his gaze with a sigh of great relief. She smiled at him as she leaned forward in the saddle, looking grateful to be alive. Jack mirrored her, feeling just the same, and he reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a loving squeeze.

“We owe you our lives,” Maddie said, addressing Reyes for the first time. She inclined her head and added, “ _Muchos gracias, Presidente._ ”

Reyes now looked upon her with a countenance of mixed emotions. He looked surprised to have been spoken to by her, but there was a hint of recognition in his eyes. He took a long moment to study her carefully, not exactly placing her.

“You look…familiar, _señorita_ ,” he said, narrowing his eyes. _“¿Quién eres tú?”_

_“Soy Maddie Marston. Yo vivía en Chuparosa. Mi maestro fue Landon Ricketts.”_

Reyes’ eyes widened. _“¡Sí! ¡Yo sé que ustedes!_ I should’ve _known_ it was you, _señorita_!” He looked from her to Jack and back; his smile brightened and he shook his head in amazement. “And you married the son of a legend?! _¡Fantástico!”_

“Is that what they say about me— _us_ in Mexico these days?” Maddie joked, blushing as she glanced at her husband out of the corner of her eye. He shared the same flattered expression.

“ _De hecho_ ,” the President answered. After another long disbelieving moment and gawking at the legends sitting atop their exhausted horses, Reyes reined his horse around and proclaimed, “Now, then! Let us tend to the train and get it to El Presidio! We have a nation to save!”

 The army reined their horses after their noble leader. Jack and Maddie urged their enervated mounts after the flamboyantly-dressed President as well. Much was still to be done before they were once again safe, but in that moment, they couldn’t have been safer than when they were before.


	7. Infiltrated

The wagon creaked and rumbled beneath Jack; it jostled him, Maddie, and the six Mexican soldiers who sat alongside them in the back, along with several crates of ammunition, firearms, and other destructive supplies. The long caravan of mounted soldiers and wagons stretched for nearly a quarter mile as they made their way towards El Presidio later that evening. The wagons were waiting for them at Casa Madrugada, just as they had left them, and with more than enough hands to help, they’d hitched up several of the army’s horses to them and transferred the supplies from the train to the wagons. Then the long haul to El Presidio began; all was quiet except for the plodding of the many horses’ hooves and the creaking wagons as the army ambled along down the road. Guns were loaded and held at the ready; eyes were alert and swiveling should another ambush take place so near their destination.

Jack glanced back over his shoulder at the seemingly endless line of mounted soldiers that extended past his sight and over the winding road from whence they came. He looked at Sundance and Gypsy, who were tied to the back of the wagon and were shuffling along. A pang of guilt resided in Jack’s chest; he frowned and thought, _I’ll make sure to let them get some rest. God knows they deserve it after today._

Looking forward, his eyes fell on two more wagons in front of the one he rode in. His gaze continued on and snagged on the man leading the caravan. The rump of the dapple-grey Andalusian stallion swaggered back and forth, his black tail a swaying banner of pride as he half-pranced, half-walked. His rider held himself up quite nicely, almost too happily as he rode in front of his men. Reyes carried himself in a very dignified way. To Jack, he seemed almost too self-aware that he was the President, and it annoyed him. _Sure, he’s the President and all, but he sure as hell doesn’t need to act like such a pompous ass_ , he thought as he took one last long look at Reyes’ back before redirecting his attention to matters that were of greater importance.

His attention was redirected as his wife cuddled closer to him—amazingly, she had fallen asleep in his arms shortly after the wagons began the long trek to safety. Her head rested heavily against his shoulder, and even though the wagon jostled her and Jack about, she was sound asleep. He smirked down at her, adoring how she looked in his arms, and he closed his eyes as he kissed her forehead. His lips lingered there for a long moment, as he was grateful to be alive and with her now. They would’ve undoubtedly been killed by the bounty target had Reyes not have showed up when he did and saved them. After another second longer, Jack pulled away and opened his eyes, only to stare at her longer in silent happiness.

Not a word was spoken by neither soldier nor Jack as the army progressed closer and closer to El Presidio. Within ten minutes, just as the sun had begun to set, the fortress was visible. The pink and orange splashes of color from the sunset washed the white walls of El Presidio with a glorious palette, as if it were a blank canvas that had been painted with watercolors. Seeing their salvation in the distance, the soldiers urged the horses faster, making the wagons jostle even more so than before.

They were met with shouts and hollers of joy as the gates swung outward invitingly, and out poured hungry citizens begging for food, clothing, water, and protection. Reyes rode through the swarm of people with a reassuring, bright smile, looking like a chivalrous knight playing his part in a medieval epic of long ago. He ushered them all back inside in rapid Spanish, and when the wagons were stopped within the fortress, the people took to the supplies with a ravenous gusto. Food and water was dispensed, clothing was passed around, and firearms and ammunition were given to the soldiers. Through all the commotion, however, all Jack cared about was Maddie. Groggily, she awoke in his arms, and once she knew where she was, he helped her to her feet and out of the wagon. They pushed their way out of the tight crowd, and the second they were free from it and were ascending the stairs towards the main building, he released her.

“Jack, what about our horses?” she shouted over the crowd below.

He shook his head dismissively. “I’ll take care of them.” He ushered her toward the door with a gentle push. “You just get inside and get some sleep. Lord knows you need it.”

She blinked. “But what about you? At least let me help you with—”

Again, he shook his head. “No, darlin’. I’ll take care of them. Just go inside, please.”

She frowned, looking guilty. “You sure?”

He nodded. To reassure her further, he leaned closer to her and kissed her forehead. She reciprocated his affection with a passionate kiss on the lips. In the brief pause that time allotted them, Jack could feel the relief and love she felt—relief for being alive and being with him, and her love all the more powerful for him.

As she pulled away, she said, “Try to not keep your wife waiting for long.”

He smirked. “Yes, dear.”

With that, she turned and ambled up the stairs, disappearing behind the door of the main building and leaving him alone on the steps staring lovingly after her. Jack turned and stood staring at the sea of moving bodies before him, and it reminded him of swarming fish in a river voraciously fighting over scraps of bread tossed down at them from curious children’s’ hands. Dumbfounded by the scene and numbed with exhaustion, he rested his hands on the railing and leaned against it as he stared at all the needy citizens who were desperate for the simple requirements of survival. A handful of soldiers stood within the wagons, dispersing whatever supplies their hands fell upon within arm’s reach. Dozens of desperate hands reached up to snatch the necessities away from the soldiers as quickly as they offered them. Gradually, however, the crowd died down, and once all were clothed, fed, and watered, many of the soldiers exited the gates of El Presidio.

Curious, Jack walked outside and ambled about as the army scurried around him setting up a perimeter. Using the wagons first, they blocked the entrance of El Presidio, parking the empty wagons on the road front to back, and stretching outward, they began building a fence constructed of barbed wire, empty crates and barrels, and any other excess form of strong fortification. Chunks of wood and broken pieces of metal, anything from the tops of shovels to bayonets, were used in the promise of defense against outside threats. The fence was at least fifty yards away from the fortress wall, and as the fence was erected and solidified, Jack stood back in awe at the quick proficiency of the Mexican Army. With Reyes barking orders in Spanish astride his grey steed and the hundreds of soldiers scurrying about, within several hours, El Presidio was reinforced and made all the more safe.

When at last the perimeter was made, the soldiers set about setting up camp. Hundreds of small canvas tents were erected; tiny campfires burst to life and lit the rows of tents with sufficient light, so much so that Jack didn’t even have to squint in the fading light as day waned into night. One by one, the cavalry unsaddled their horses and picketed them all nearby the rows of tents; twenty soldiers began building a round pen out of the scraps of wooden posts and anything else they could find within El Presidio. The smell of horse sweat, trampled dirt, and campfire-cooked meals reached Jack’s nose in a pungent mix. A constant stream of Spanish rolled off the tongues and past the lips of the soldiers’ mouths; there were so many men talking all at once that it was a jumbled cacophony of sound to Jack’s ears, and he grew uncomfortable by it all. Also, the whickers, neighing, and blowing of horses added to the mix, and even though it all became a bombardment of white noise, it was still just enough to put him on edge. Even the sight of such a large army encampment was enough to make his spine tingle with anxiety. Tired and wanting nothing more to do with it all, Jack retreated back into El Presidio.

His attempt to escape the slew of people and the onslaught of Spanish was thwarted still—just as he predicted— as he walked back into the packed fortress. The citizens had also erected tents that were nearly overlapping one another; living conditions were worse than outside. Feeling claustrophobic, Jack made his way through the crowd and back towards the horses. He untied them from the wagon and led them away from the chaos over to the gates, where there was a small area for horses. There were a fair few of equines already there, but he had managed to squeeze Sundance and Gypsy in and unsaddle them. The horses looked grateful to have been removed of their tack, and their coats were covered with foam and sweat. Though he was exhausted, Jack took to brushing and washing the horses with gusto, knowing they needed more care and rest than he did at the moment. He gave them as much hay and water as they needed before he slipped their halters on and tied them alongside the other horses. Giving them both appreciative and affectionate pets, Jack turned and finally left them to rest.

He climbed the steps up to the second level, where he sought refuge alongside the wall. _Finally,_ he thought with a deep sigh of relief, _I can get some air up here!_ Jack leaned his elbows against the top of the wall and looked out at the perimeter and across the army’s camp. Though he was temporarily free of the hundreds of people, it did ease him to a point where he realized he was at last safe, as well as everyone else within El Presidio. Nevertheless, as he stood leaning up against the wall gawking about, he couldn’t help but think, _All this protection, and it don’t feel any damn bit of good. We’re all packed in here like hogs in too small a pen. It’s too many people in such a small place as this_. He glanced past the fence surrounding the fortress and out across the landscape. _Hell, I’d be more comfortable out there taking my chances with La Phantasma than sit here unable to breathe, much less move around in here. Still, at least we’re all safe here, and with the entire army here now, La Phantasma doesn’t stand a goddamned chance against us. She’d be_ really _stupid to try to pull somethin’ now with us._

He did his best to ignore and stay out of the way of the soldiers who walked along their stationed portions of the wall; no doubt Reyes had set up a constant watch with more than enough men to switch out. Even at the perimeter fence, men were stationed every twenty feet with guns at the ready should someone see a threat. As night fell over the last safe place in Mexico, silence blanketed it softly. Peace settled all around, and as soldier and citizen alike drifted off to sleep (save for the men who were on night watch), all that could be heard were the nocturnal creatures outside the walls and off into the wilderness before them. The sounds of people snoring occupied a small portion of sound in the night, adding another counter melody in the symphony of the night. Before Jack knew it, hours had passed, and when he checked his pocket watch, it read one-thirty in the morning. Yawning, he returned his watch back into his shirt pocket and leaned away from the wall.

 _I wonder if Maddie is asleep_ , he pondered. He ran a hand over his face, feeling all the more tired. He glanced over his shoulder back down to the main building, where his wife had disappeared into many hours prior. _I should go to her soon…_ He let his thoughts fade out of existence in his mind as he turned to face the land before El Presidio.

He blinked with surprise and did a double-take, however, as a certain important man came strolling up to him. Every soldier he passed said something amiable or respectable to him as they saluted their president, and as Reyes came to stand beside Jack, the men sized each other up once more. To Jack, the President looked even more absurd with his heavy adornment of metals that glittered and shined brilliantly in the moonlight. The man looked at him with a certain amount of respect the likes Jack didn’t expect, but then he recalled that Reyes had known his father and through him, he’d attained a respect for his family. Feeling inclined to show him the same respect, Jack inclined his head and said, “Mister President.”

Reyes bowed his head as well and gave him a tired but amicable grin. “Polite like your father was,” he noted before offering a hand. “Now that things aren’t hectic and urgent matters are tended to, I’d like to formally introduce myself to you, Mister Marston. I am honored to have met the son of the man that helped me liberate Mexico from Allende’s tyrannical leadership.”

Abashed, Jack took his hand and shook it. He was surprised by the man’s firm grip and confident handshake, but he realized that it was expected of him, seeing as he was the President. Jack looked him sincerely in the eyes and replied, “Thank you, _señor_. I appreciate it. A friend of my father’s is a friend of mine, I reckon.”

The men released each other’s hand and stood before one another like old friends, even though they’d met hours earlier and in the most unlikely of circumstances. After a brief moment of awkward pause, they turned and faced the landscape, both resting their hands on the wall’s ledge. The silence between them lasted another second or so before Reyes struck up the conversation once more.

 “It’s a quiet night, no?”

Jack nodded somberly, not knowing what else to say.

“Marston,” Reyes began suddenly as he turned to face him, “I didn’t get a chance today to speak with you after we got here. I was busy leading my men and taking care of the people to pull you aside and ask you your well-being. How are you and your wife?”

Jack sighed through his nose and faced the President. “I’m fine. Came out of that gunfight without a scratch, amazingly.”

Reyes stepped closer and clapped a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Of course you wouldn’t be hurt, _mi amigo_ : you are the son of John Marston! It has been quite a struggle here in Mexico, but with you and your wife here to help, I am quite sure we can handle the country’s sufferings. Still, I can imagine you have had to endure hardships of your own.”

Jack scoffed and smiled. “Yeah, you can say that again. It’s been hell ever since we got here in Mexico. This bounty hunt has certainly become a lot more than we bargained for.”

“It would appear so, Marston. I too have had trouble finding and killing this _puta_. She has been one elusive _anarquista_. She truly lives up to the name the people of Mexico have given her.”

“How did she rise to power so quickly?”

Reyes shrugged and explained, “When a person wants to destroy and make change in the most violent of ways, it is quite easy to do so, Jack. If you can talk in such a way that makes even the smartest of men to change their mind and side with you, then you can be successful. Or, in _La Phantasma_ ’s case, if you can scare the absolute hell out of a people, then you can rise to power. A _criminale_ can rise to fame in a number of ways. I’ve seen it done many times, as I’m sure you have as well, with the line of business you and your wife are in.”

“ _Were_ in, actually,” Jack rectified. “Maddie’s always been the one in and out of bounty hunting; I gave up that life a long time ago, but she drug us both back into it when she heard about _La Phantasma_.”

“And you went willingly?” Reyes questioned with a cocked eyebrow, clearly looking like he was uncomfortable with the supposed power Maddie had over Jack.

Jack noticed this and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Against his knowing, his eyes narrowed as he looked the President in the eyes and said, “Of course. Maddie and I have a great marriage—we decide on things together.” He sniffed and looked away out of embarrassment, knowing that what he’d said was partially true.

Reyes, however, looked unconvinced and smirked knowingly. He studied Jack’s body language and noted, “I can see that you’re lying, Marston. You ought not to let a woman control you in such a way.” He snobbishly raised his chin and added, “That’s why I refuse to marry a bull-headed woman of no noble blood. I may not have a wife yet, but when I do, I will make certain that she knows her place.”

Again, Jack’s temper boiled beneath his skin. However, he picked his words carefully before he hissed, “You talk bold words, mister. My wife doesn’t control me, nor do I control her. We are _married_ , not a master and slave.”

To cover up his mistake and embarrassment, Reyes threw back his head and laughed. He clapped his hand to Jack’s shoulder out of friendly jest, but when Jack refused his hand and stepped away from him, he cut off his laughter abruptly by closing his mouth and frowning. In the dark, his eyes danced with confusion and outrage as he stared at Jack. Mystified, he shook his head and said, “You are a strange man, Jack Marston.” He shook his head once more, looking like he didn’t know what to think of the man standing before him with broad, proud shoulders and the resilience of a middle-aged work horse.

With unspoken consent, the men resorted to suddenly and awkwardly ending their conversation, all the while confirming their respect of one another though they secretly disputed over one another’s beliefs. Jack stood unrelentingly before the President, not at all intimidated or questioning his own beliefs and lifestyle—he’d done enough and seen enough to believe that how he lived his life was the best he could live. When both men realized the conversation turned grim, they faced the road once more and studied without seeing of the camp below them or the moonlit desert that stretched past their eyesight.

When the silence proved too much for him, Jack leaned away from the wall, turned, and said, “It’s getting late. Maddie’s probably wondering where I am.”

Reyes nodded and turned to face him. A change in the President’s eyes happened just then as he looked at Jack; a wash of newfound reverence flooded them. “Then go to her, and get some sleep. God knows what will tomorrow will bring us.” As Jack walked hurriedly past him, he added, “And _señor_?”

Jack paused in mid-step and looked back over his shoulder.

“ _Buenos noches_. I hope to speak further with you tomorrow. Perhaps we can…get on better terms?”

Against his inner disgust and hoping to please him, Jack nodded and tipped his hat to the President.

“ _Muy buen_ ,” Reyes replied with a bright smile.

Jack did his best to escape the President’s sight as he approached the main building, where he knew Maddie would undoubtedly be in. He felt Reyes’ eyes upon him as he ascended the small set of stairs and across the walkway leading to what the army had set up its headquarters. He looked forward to disappearing behind the door of their bedroom and going to her. With that prospect in mind, he walked past the door and towards a set of stairs leading down to the sleeping quarters.

He almost descended the steps towards where his beloved resided, but something caught his attention and made him pause. The faint sound of ticking could be heard from within the main building, where the arm kept their telegraph, maps, and other accouterments required to plan—it was their main discussion and planning room. Jack turned and stared up at the door, noting that it was slightly ajar. The light from the room poured out towards him in a thin sliver of yellow, casting a slight glare upon his face. Squinting, he stepped away from the steps and cautiously approached. Curiosity and suspicion egged him on. His hand instinctively rested on the butt of his high-powered pistol as he peeked through the crack of the door.

What little he could make out of was enough to make him instantly tense. From the back view, it looked like Captain Gonzalez—he was standing with his back turned to the door. His right arm subtly moved up and down as he appeared to be sending a telegraph. The contraption was stationed on top of a small table in the farthest corner of the meeting room. Jack hastily turned his head to try to get a better view of the rest of the room, and from the limited viewpoint, Gonzalez appeared to be the only person in the room. With more than enough evidence to prove that something was amiss, Jack drew his gun and threw his shoulder against the door, knocking it wide open.

“What are you doin’?!” he demanded as he stepped into the room with his gun raised and pointed at Gonzalez’s torso.

Gonzalez started violently and whirled around to face Jack, looking petrified as if he’d been caught in some traitorous act.

“Get away from that!” Jack barked as he beckoned with his gun, jerking it to the side to usher him to step away.

“Mister Marston,” the captain stuttered with surprise. He blinked in rapid succession, trying to make sense of how and why Jack was there acting as he was. _“¿Qué está pasando?”_

“Take off your gun belt,” Jack commanded. When the Captain hesitated to do so, he yelled, “Do it or I’ll shoot!”

The man acquiesced quickly and dropped his gun belt down to the floor.

“Kick it towards me.”

He did so without hesitance.

“Now, what the hell’s so important for you to be sending a telegraph at two in the morning?”

“ _Un momento_ , Marston! Wait!” He held up his hands in submission.

“You’d better have a _damn_ good explanation, _amigo_.”

“I do, _señor_. I was merely sending a telegraph to America to send more reinforcements. We need as much help as we can in order to defeat _La Phantasma_!”

Jack felt his eyes narrow in dark suspicion. His grip on his weapon tightened as he asked, “Why would the States bother to get into Mexico’s affairs when they’re already preoccupied with The Great War? That sure as shit doesn’t make much sense to me.” He stepped closer to Gonzalez with his gun still aimed at his chest. “Besides, we have plenty of men to take on that bitch now. She’d be _real_ stupid to try to take us head-on, now that the rest of Mexico’s army is here and protecting the last safe place around.”

All trace of terror suddenly melted away from the captain’s face just then; in its place morphed a crazed smile that sent a chill down Jack’s spine. He didn’t have to think twice to realize the confrontation had gone from bad to worse as the soldier stood before him with a sudden, unexplainable calmness. Gonzalez’s voice was instantaneously collected as he said grimly, “You’re already dead, boy. Everyone in here is already dead.”

“The hell do you mean?” Jack hissed, feeling a pulse of fear throb from his chest outwards to the rest of his body.

“Even with Reyes’ forces, how can you hope to stand a chance against _una anarquista_ like her? Now that he’s here along with every gutless filthy commoner in this sandbox they call a fortress, her ultimate plan will come full circle, and you’re all already too late.”

Jack narrowed his eyes, now knowing all too well he’d caught a traitor single-handedly. Swallowing down his rising anxiety, he gripped his gun firmly as he growled, “What sort of plan is that?”

_“La Limpieza.”_

“Which means?” he demanded impatiently.

“The Cleansing, you ignorant _gringo._ Here, within these very walls of the last sanctuary of Mexico, the country will be swept clean of all filth, including that _bastardo_ Abraham Reyes, and a new government shall arise from the ashes and blood of the pitiful past system.”

The high-powered pistol trembled in Jack’s grasp as he shouted, _“You traitorous son of a bitch!_ You’ve condemned all the lives of everyone in here! You’ve betrayed Mexico and its people!”

“I have and will always serve Mexico, _idiota,_ just not under Reyes’ reign!” Gonzalez corrected, throwing back his head and raising his chin in a self-righteous manner. “He’s brought debt and decay to this country even more than his predecessor! He’s become the beast he overthrew, and now he must be dethroned!”

_“You fucking traitor!”_

Gonzalez smiles evilly. “You and that little bitch you call your wife will die along with every worthless commoner and soldier in here. _La Phantasma_ will lay waste to this place and raze it to the ground; there will be nothing but ashes when she’s done here and takes her place as the rightful ruler of Mexico.”

“Yeah…not while I’m _Presidente_ ,” boasted Reyes as he seemingly materialized and stepped into the room through the open door. Several of his soldiers followed him in, trickling into the room and surrounding Gonzalez with their guns drawn and aimed at the traitor’s head and chest. Two men apprehended him while the President glared the captain down and snarled, “You should’ve thought twice before betraying me and all of Mexico. Now you will die like the dog you are.”

Gonzalez smiled brightly, insanity quite evident in his expression. “You can kill me, but things are set in motion which you cannot change.”

“I’ve already got a plan for that _puta loca_ ,” Reyes hissed through clenched teeth. “As for you, I have about a thousand ways to end your life. But first, we’re going to learn everything that you know.”

Gonzalez threw himself forward against his captors’ strong hands and spat in the President’s face. _“¡Chinga tu madre!_ I will not speak!”

Reyes struck him across the face with his pistol faster than Jack or the soldiers could follow. His anger was palpable within the large space as he snarled, “That’s what you think, _pendejo._ By the time we’re done with you, you’ll be begging me to put a bullet through your brain. But I’ll make you squeal long before that happens.” Collecting himself from such a sudden violent loss of control, the President holstered his pistol and retrieved a silk handkerchief from a back pocket. He wiped the spit off his face, looked around at his men, and ordered, “Take this _cabrón_ away and keep watch over him. Make him suffer but do not kill him just yet: I will make an example of him tomorrow morning.” As his men followed through with his orders and took Gonzalez away, he turned and held out a hand to Jack. “Thank you, Marston. You are a valuable man, just like your father.”

Jack holstered his pistol and shook his hand. “I do what I can. But…,” he glanced past Reyes’ shoulder to catch one last glimpse of Gonzalez looking back at him with a smile the likes of which made him shiver. Steeling himself, Jack looked back at the President and continued, “But who knows who else has sided with her and is here right alongside us?”

Reyes shook his head and chuckled with unbridled confidence. “I will personally see to it that nothing happens. This ordeal will be dealt with. We will find these traitors within our ranks and destroy them. Then we will bring the fight to _La Phantasma_ and teach her what fear _really_ is.”

Taken off-guard by the man’s certainty, Jack nodded and pursed his lips, not knowing what to say.

“Get some rest, _amigo_. You will need your strength for the challenges to come. And Marston?”

Jack blinked and waited for him to speak further.

Reyes met his gaze head-on and gravely warned, “Tell no one of this, _comprende_? I don’t want this…slip-up getting out. If word reaches that there is a mole within these very walls, people will speak of it, and we cannot afford to let them gossip. Can you do that for me?”

Jack nodded dumbly.

“Good. Then I will see you in the morning, Marston.” With that, the President turned and walked out of the room, following his soldiers to take care of Gonzalez personally.

Jack stared after them, watching them slither around the corner and disappear into the night like a snake in the brambles. An unshakable feeling of anxiety crawled into his body, making him shake where he stood. Suddenly, his claustrophobia returned, and with it, the unmistakable fear of law enforcement and criminals. He felt like he’d stepped into something even worse than the already terrible and not so successful bounty hunt he was already a part of. With his fear quickly getting the best of him, he retreated down the steps and into the sleeping quarters. As best he could, he skirted past the two rows of sleeping soldiers on their cots towards the door at the end of the room, and when he reached it, he hastily grabbed the door handle and rushed inside, feeling safe at last in the presence of his beloved in the room with him.


	8. Doubts

White noise stirred Jack out of his rest the next morning—it has started out as a dull hum, then as he slowly gained consciousness, the cacophony rose into an annoying crescendo. Blinking away his grogginess, Jack sat up in bed and looked around the room, once again being reminded that he wasn’t back at home in his comfortable ranch house, but in a small ramshackle of a room that lacked all the warmth and comforts of where he yearned to be. Frowning, he focused on the noise, only to realize after several long moments on pondering that it was the sound of a crowd. Jack blinked in rapid succession, utterly confused, when he pinpointed where the sound was coming from within the room. He stared at the bedroom door for another long moment before deciding to investigate.

He looked down by his right side when his wife stirred in her sleep. He bit down on his lip with rising guilt, hoping he hadn’t awoken her, but he relaxed when she merely rolled over on her side with her back facing him and the door. He brushed his hand through her long dark hair, letting it slide through his fingers and fall over her shoulders and back. He glanced back up at the door, then down to Maddie, and back again at the door indecisively. To get out of bed would risk waking her, but he knew something was amiss outside the door. Curiosity got the best of him, and he gingerly swung his legs out from under the covers and stood up off the bed. Not once did Maddie move nor make a sound as he quietly got dressed. Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, Jack tiptoed to the door and left.

He blinked as he walked into sunlight—dawn had arrived without his knowing, and as he looked about El Presidio with squinted eyes and a tired frown, he was taken aback when he saw all of the citizens were gathering in the center of the fortress. He rested his elbows on the railing and took in the scene before him with a mixture of awe and concern. The walls of El Presidio were lined with armed soldiers, while all the commoners were assembled in one giant crowd. Standing above the crowd on the elevated walkway, before a ladder that led to one of the cannons, was the _Presidente_ himself, Abraham Reyes. Two other soldiers stood behind him, as well as who Jack guessed was Captain Gonzalez—the former soldier had been stripped of all his clothing except for raggedy pants and a shirt. His face was marred by cuts and bruises, his shirt was stained with blood and dirt, and his hands were chained behind his back. The man looked like he’d been nearly tortured to death, but Jack held no remorse for the former captain’s suffering—he’d betrayed Mexico and deserved such heinous treatment.

Then Reyes began to speak so that all could hear. His proud voice boomed across the fortress, rising above the sounds of the waking world around them as he addressed to the crowd below in Spanish. From what Jack could guess, he was rallying them to him. Curious, Jack descended the steps and joined the people, not necessarily blending in with them but nevertheless taking his place as one of the common folk. He and the remaining citizens of Mexico looked up at Reyes as he reached back around him, grabbed Gonzalez by the back of his neck, and threw him forward, presenting him to the people.

Again, in Spanish, Reyes spoke to the crowd, motioning to Gonzalez with a disgusted countenance and angry hand gestures. Jack didn’t have a clue as to what he said, but he could only assume that he was telling the commoners what he’d found out last night and how Captain Gonzalez betrayed them all. All the while, Jack kept his eyes to Gonzalez fiercely, studying his frail, beaten body and pained, defeated countenance. The man was surely defeated in all ways a man could be defeated, and the shame in his bruised, blood-shot eyes made it all the more clear to Jack that he was disappointed in himself for not only failing _La Phantasma_ , but perhaps failing Mexico itself.

 _That poor dumb bastard_ , Jack thought with a shake of his head. _He deserved what he got for betraying Mexico_. He shifted his attention to Reyes as he continued to preach valiantly, if not flamboyantly, to the crowd. _What an idiot_ , he couldn’t help but think. The President seemed to be putting on an obsequious show to his people, looking as if he were promising them great things and restoring hope. _It’s all a political act_ , Jack concluded, feeling almost sick to his stomach.

Suddenly, at Reyes’ command, the soldiers who had held him before came forward and seized him once more before leading them down the stairs and through the crowd. As the people turned to watch what would unfold next, the soldiers tied Gonzalez to a pole beside the blacksmith’s workstation with his back facing the crowd. The man stood atop a wooden platform; the wall behind him was littered with dried splatters of blood and bullet holes. With a sickening feeling that rose in his gut, Jack realized what was about to happen.

Above them, Reyes barked another order, and from out of the main building, a line of soldiers and prisoners marched forward. Jack stared at the ten men who were clad in similar clothing to Gonzalez, and it suddenly dawned on him that these men were also former soldiers of Reyes’ army. _They must’ve also been in league with_ La Phantasma, he realized with a gaping mouth. He flicked his gaze back to Gonzalez and blinked. _They must’ve tortured him for answers, names even. I bet that’s what happened last night._

The soldiers lined the betrayers up against the fortress wall behind where Gonzalez stood tethered. The crowd turned and gathered before the former soldiers. Reyes barked another order, and a soldier briefly disappeared inside the building, only to reappear carrying a brutal-looking whip. Jack stared at it, and gasped as he realized what it was reinforced with. His eyes snagged on the broken shards of metal and nails that had been attached to the end of the whip; the metallic surfaces reflected the morning light with a sickening sheen, looking eager to draw blood. It was as if Reyes had the soldier go through the camp the night before and collected all the nails from the army’s horse shoes and the bits of metal from miscellaneous parts of the barrier fence that surrounded El Presidio—somehow, he had faceted them to the end of the whip and then sharpened it. The soldier came to stand before Gonzalez briefly to rip off what little of a shirt he had, and with Gonzalez’s back now fully exposed, he backed away several paces, gathering the whip in his hands as he did so. He drew back his right arm in preparation as he glanced back over his shoulder up at Reyes, who nodded and shouted a command. Gathering his strength, the soldier threw his arm forward, and the whip followed through.

Gonzalez screamed in agony and arched his back, his stomach slamming up against the pole, as the shards of metal and nails shredded his ragged shirt and tore into his flesh with a sickening wet sound. Large tendrils of fresh blood began to flow down his back and stain the traitor’s torn, soiled shirt.

 _“¡Otra vez!”_ the President commanded above them.

The soldier tugged the whip back as it fell down to the ground, only to throw the whip forward once more. Again, Gonzalez shrieked. Again, flesh ripped and blood oozed. Jack cringed, as did the people around him. The man’s scream of excruciation made his ears ring and his skin crawl. He swallowed thickly, feeling nauseous. Jack glanced back over his shoulder as Reyes barked the command again.

_“¡Otra vez!”_

Above them all, the President smiled sadistically, looking like he was enjoying himself too much.

Minutes passed achingly slow as Gonzalez was whipped time and time again until his back was a ragged red landscape and his blood ran down his backside and legs like a stream. On the tenth strike, he fell to his knees and began to shiver from blood loss and shock.

 _“¡Basta!”_ Reyes finally said, and he pointed at the line of betrayers who stood before the wall. In rapid Spanish, he shouted more orders at the soldier, who then nodded and took out a knife and cut Gonzalez free from the pole. Gonzalez collapsed to the ground like a torn-up ragdoll, collapsing in his own puddle of blood, but just then the soldier grabbed him, brought him to his feet, spun him around so he faced the crowd, and with the help of a nearby soldier, tied the former captain back to the pole, forcing him to stand.

As Gonzalez slumped forward, the soldiers rejoined their ranks when the other men marched forward and stood in a line facing the ten betrayers. Jack felt his eyes bulge as he realized what was about to happen next. Just as he suspected, the soldiers drew their revolvers and waited for Reyes’ command.

_“¡Listo!”_

The soldiers brought up their revolvers. The ominous chorus of clicks sounded as the soldiers drew back the hammers.

_“¡Punteria!”_

The line of men pointed them at their appointed targets.

_“¡Fuego!”_

Ten revolvers fired off simultaneously, causing all the spectators to flinch and cover their ears as the ten betrayers fell to the ground dead. Pools of blood quickly covered the ground where the men had fallen, and as soon as the firing squad had carried out the execution, they came forward and drug the dead bodies away to the gates, which opened slowly. Sickened and terrified of the horror they’d witnessed, the crowd of civilians broke apart, and the men, women, and children retreated to the corners of El Presidio to comfort one another and talk amongst themselves about the event that transpired before their very eyes.

Jack was the only one who remained rooted in his place. His eyes followed the blood trails that led outside the fortress, past the fortified wall, and out into the wild, where the soldiers finished disposing of the dead betrayers by piling their bodies up. Not even five minutes had passed before a pack of wolves appeared to gorge themselves on the feast of flesh. Clouding the sky above circled dozens of vultures waiting for their opportunity to take advantage of the feast below. Jack watched as the alpha wolves ate their fill and growled at the other members of their pack who dared take a chance to sneak a bite or two from the carcasses. Thirty yards away from the bodies stood a handful of coyotes who paced around waiting for the opportune moment to sneak in and have their share of the humans.

Very soon, a certain important man came strolling up to him and stood beside him. Reyes and Jack exchanged looks, each portraying a different emotion from each other. Reyes appeared relieved, triumphant, and practically glowed with confidence. Jack, on the other hand, eyed the President with a new lens that was now tainted with disgust and falsehood; he took a worried step back from the President and looked at him like a dog beaten by its master and wary of trusting the man. The display of aggressive power he held over the citizens of Mexico made him on edge, and in that moment, he debated on which side his allegiance should lie.

“You look…uncomfortable, Marston,” Reyes noted with a concerned countenance. _“¿Por que?”_

Jack shrugged and instead turned his attention back to the wolves tearing at the dead bodies. He motioned to them with a jerk of his head and began, “So…those men…”

“ _Sí_ , what of them?”

“What were they executed for?” he asked, though he already knew the answer.

“They sided with _La Phantasma_ , _señor_ , just as Gonzalez did,” Reyes explained, sounding dumbfounded by his question. “That traitor needed some… _persuasion_ …but afterwards, he told me of all the men he was commanding behind my back. Marston, they set to conspire against me.”

“What were they planning?”

“Those ten men were some of her assassins, given direct orders from her to kill all those who chose not to join her. They were ordered to turn the cannons and Gatling guns upon all who opposed.”

Jack felt his eyes bulge. He stared at the President. “Jesus Christ…”

“Indeed, _mi amigo_.” He clapped a hand on Jack’s shoulder and said with a charming smile, “Luckily, you stopped all that from happening. I have you to thank, Jack, for single-handedly stopping what could’ve been a massacre.”

Blinking and overwhelmed by the realization, he half-smiled and struggled to breathe.

“You truly are your father’s son.”

With a disbelieving chuckle, Jack bowed his head in appreciation. “Thank you.” He shook his head, though, out of sheer embarrassment. _This man thinks I’m a god or something_ , he thought with an inward snort. He felt his face burn, and in an effort to get past his discomfort, he cleared his throat and looked back up at Reyes. “So,” he continued, “what happens now? _La Phantasma_ ’s men have been taken care of. What’s your next move, _Presidente_?”

“We exorcise the demon, Marston, in her own home.”

Jack blinked slowly. “You’re planning on taking the fight to her...”

“Of course! What better time than now to finish this? Her plan to eradicate us has failed; no doubt she will be attempting another way to kill us all, and I think it’s best we beat her to the punch. I will take her out with full, unrelenting force, and I will exterminate her and every single gutless renegade who follows her lead.” He beckoned Jack to follow as he headed for the main building. “But first, you must assist me in some things.”

“Such as?” Jack asked hesitantly as he fell into step behind Reyes.

“If we are to be successful in finally purging Mexico from her anarchy, we’re going to have to plan accordingly. Our attack must be fool-proof, and from what I’ve heard of you, Mister Marston, I hear you’re experienced with warfare—your tactics at Gaptooth Breach were splendid! You’re a living legend, just like your father.”

Annoyance snapped within Jack as he grabbed the President by the shoulder, turned him around, and looked him in the eyes. “ _Stop_ saying that. I’m no hero. I know what you’re trying to do here, but with all due respect, mister, **stop** trying to make me into something I’m not. I’m a retired bounty hunter, formerly a criminal, and who was also raised by outlaws. I’m no legend or saint or nothin’ of the sort.  I’m just a troubled man with a hell of a past, one that I would neither care to tell anyone in detail nor hope to have them experience themselves. I’m no angel, that’s for damn sure. Just ask my wife—she’s helped me get through my dark days. And besides, it’s because of her that I am who I am today. Were it not for her, I’d either be dead, in jail, or still on the run. I simply can’t take all the credit you’re trying to put on me.”

“ _Pero_ , **_you_** were the one who led the charge, who slayed all those _criminales_ in the mines! **_You_** cheated death many times over! **_You’ve_** brought in so many men even before that famous battle! How can I _not_ praise you for all that you’ve done? Do you not realize how many _corridos_ are sung about you and your father, the grand legacy of the Marstons?” Reyes turned to face him fully and looked him sincerely in the eyes. “Jack, **_you_** _are the son of a_ **_legend_** , a son who’s undoubtedly lived up to his father’s name and expectations. Whether you like it or not, you’re a legend by lineage. Take myself for example: I was born in a lineage of wealth. My father was a nobleman. And then, with the help of your father of course, I overthrew Ignacio Sanchez and the tyrannical government this county once cowered beneath. For a time, I ruled it peacefully.”

Jack clenched his mouth shut just then, afraid that dangerous words would spill forth and doom him; memories of all the newspaper articles he’d read throughout the years of Reyes’ ruling filled his mind and were indeed hypocritical to what the pompous man before him just stated. Widespread executions of protestors, starved and overtaxed citizens brought to the brink of rebellion, and delayed elections while building up his palace were all stated in the clippings he’d seen. His dread and disappointment for leaving his home in the first place resurfaced as he looked the President over with declining respect and rising disgust.

His countenance must’ve betrayed him just then, for Reyes blinked with surprise and asked, “Marston, what is the matter? You look…troubled.”

Jack shook his head, faked a trustworthy smile, and said, “Nothing. It’s nothing.” He beckoned to the President and added, “But please continue.”

Reyes eyed him with suspicion, but it soon passed as he continued on, “But then _La Phantasma_ appeared out of nowhere and swept across my country. She’s destroyed so much and killed so many…”

His words left Jack’s ears and floated from his concentration like a gust of wind as someone familiar caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Blinking, he paused in his steps and looked over his shoulder at the sight of Maddie standing amongst the locals. She was in the midst of them all, the beacon of hope that they so desperately needed—they crowded around her, ears and eyes fixated on her and the words that floated from her mouth. Jack had no clue as to what she or the people were saying, but the manner in which she looked at them all, and they in return, revealed all that needed to know. She was comforting them, guiding them even, and listening quite intently to what they had to say in kind. Some of the women clung to her for support and praise, to which she openly returned with a countenance of reassurance and understanding. However, as she caught sight of her husband, she politely excused herself and, with some difficulty, detached herself from the people to go to Jack’s side.

“What are you doin’ up?” he asked as she walked up to him. Immediately, his arms were wrapped around her in a warm, protective embrace. “I thought you’d still be asleep.”

“I was,” she answered, “until I heard gunshots. When I noticed you weren’t in bed beside me, I got scared and ran outside to find you, and instead found a massacre.”

Jack frowned and bit down on his lip. His gaze mirrored hers. Both knew what the other were thinking.

“I started asking around after the execution was over, and I’ve had a good ear-full from everyone around in here.” She turned and gestured out to the crowd of stricken people before her and her husband. “Look at these people, Jack. They are _terrified_ —more so than usual. They don’t know which fate is worse now: to have Reyes be President after all this is over, or to be under _La Phantasma’s_ psychotic rule if she is proven the victor.”

“I’m starting to understand why.”

“It was brutal to execute those men in front of those people, even if they were traitors.”

“But you gotta admit,” he scoffed back, “he made a _wonderful_ example of those who betray him.” He shook his head as he looked around at the cowering citizens. A deep frown settled across his mouth. “I’m beginning to wonder whose side we should be on…”

Maddie nodded as she too stared at all the people who all appeared like frightened livestock—men, women, and children confided in each other, cramming themselves against one another in an effort to feign safety.

At that moment, Reyes hailed for Jack to join him in the main building. The bounty hunters turned and looked up at the President warily. Taking his wife’s hand, Jack hesitantly made his way to the base of the stairs. Under his breath, he murmured, “I don’t see how much good it’s gonna do for me to sit in on this.”

“What do you mean?” Maddie whispered, inching closer to him. She gave his hand a comforting squeeze.

“Reyes and every one of these damn people think I’m a legend or something, so the President thinks I should help him out in planning how to take back Mexico, even though we both know my help is not needed. He has all the help and the manpower to take it back himself.”

“You make a good ally to have in this exact situation, Jack.” Maddie chortled as she added, “It’s all for show, darling. You _are_ the son of John Marston, after all.”

“Yeah, and it’s really starting to piss me off,” he growled back through clenched teeth. “I owe these people nothing, and yet they’ve all got it in their heads that I’m here on my own accord ready to devote my time and save them all like I’m some kind of prophesized hero. What kinda person do these people think I am? I’m nobody, just another man, and yet they treat me better than their own goddamned President.”

“Keep saying that, and they just might consider making you that.”

Before he could shoot back an angry retort, they’d reached the bottom of the stairs. Reyes stood at the top waiting for them with an amicable, patient smile. His beaming face faltered a fraction, however, as he looked from Jack to Maddie. A flicker of irritation danced across his eyes.

As the bounty hunters ascended the stairs and came to stand before Reyes, a moment of pause ensued as the President eyed Maddie with skepticism before looking at Jack. His mouth twisted into a condescending grimace, but before Jack could come to his wife’s defense, Maddie boldly stepped forward and declared, “I’ll be sitting in on this meeting alongside my husband. I have just as much right to be a part of this. I have much insight to offer, just as much as he does…if you don’t mind, _señor Presidente_.”

The man looked appalled in one second and enraged in the next. The strong-willed and independent woman before him took him aback, and before he could say something truly damning, Reyes recollected himself and gave her a most obsequious smile and an agreeable nod. “ _Muy bien, señorita. Como quieras_.”

Playing along, Maddie flashed the man with a brilliant, unabashed smile and bowed her head in gratitude. “ _Gracias, señor Presidente_ ,” and led Jack forward across the threshold and into the main room. Jack did his best to hide the prideful smile all the while.

The large, rectangular table in the center of the room was crowded with Reyes’ generals. Jack and Maddie quickly found their seats, but as soon as they crossed the room to the other side of the table, Reyes had entered the room. Upon their President’s entrance, the men stood simultaneously and saluted him.

“As you were, gentleman,” Reyes responded, still looking flustered from Maddie’s previous statements. He shared a forced polite smile to his men and beckoned them to sit. “Please, let us all get comfortable. We have plenty of business to attend to, and time is of the essence if we are to win this war.”

The men hesitated to sit, however, in the presence of the only woman in the room. Many cast judgmental looks in Maddie’s direction, and all were met with indefatigable defiance from both herself and her husband. Their anger rebounded, the generals now looked to their President, whose smile quivered from the sudden embarrassment. He coolly shrugged it off and scoffed, “Gentlemen, please do seat yourselves. There is nothing out of the ordinary here in this room.”

“Forgive me, _mi Presidente_ ,” one of them spoke up, “but there is a presence in this room that is unfit to be here for this counsel.”

Murmurs of approval floated around the table.

Before Maddie could defend herself as boldly as she had just done so with Reyes, Jack piped up, “Do you really have that much of a problem with _my wife_ being here?” He looked at each and every single general in the eyes, his own unblinking and fierce. Against his previously stated hatred for his lineage, he used it to his advantage then and proclaimed, “Missus Marston has just as much reason to be here as me…who you all know is the son of John Marston, the man who helped your President free Mexico of the previous tyrant. Or have you all forgotten that?”

His piercing gaze was met by all with horror in their eyes. Many of the generals blushed deeply and turned their defeated gazes down to the table instead.

Jack smiled triumphantly before turning his attention back to Reyes. “You were saying, mister President?”

Reyes, once again ruffled and hot under the collar, did his best to collect himself before stating, “Let us not get into semantics. Let us all just sit and begin this council like civilized men. Shall we?”

At his word, everyone took their seats. Reyes took his at the head of the table, and all eyes turned to him. “Now,” he began, “we can no longer afford this _Phantasma_ to plague us further. She needs to be annihilated, with as much force and precision as we can put forth. We need to take definitive, offensive action—she tried to kill us first, and we know how that panned out for her…”

Across the table, snickers and chuckles issued from the soldiers. Jack and Maddie, however, stayed stoically silent.

“So how are we to do this, gentlemen?” he asked, looking around the table at them all. “What sort of tactics should we bring to light this morning? Let us hear what each of us has to say.”

“It’s either them or us in the end,” one of the generals on the far end of the table chimed in. “It just depends on whoever decides to start the fight. I agree with the President: we start it up before she does. We might not know what all she’s planning, if she’s planning anything at all at this point, but at least we should make sure we have a definite plan should she try to overthrow us again.”

Maddie nodded in agreement and added, “And we should keep the fight from the civilians, if at all possible. There’s already been too much blood spilt upon this country’s soil.”

The men around the table, save for Jack of course, acted as if she hadn’t spoken.

“What is the son of John Marston’s decision?” Reyes suddenly suggested, looking at him pointedly. “What say you in this matter?”

The corner of Jack’s upper lip twitched with distaste at Reyes’ choice of words, and his expression darkened as all eyes turned to him. “It’s not my decision,” he answered frankly. “I’m not the President, and I sure as hell am not a part of your army.” He gestured to himself and his wife beside him and continued haughtily, “We’re just here for the bounty. We didn’t come here to—”

“I think what my husband’s _trying_ to say,” Maddie interjected with a firm grasp of Jack’s shoulder and a stern sideways look, “is that we’re not _qualified_ to make such high-up decisions.” Casting one last consternating glare at her grumbling beloved, she nodded at the President and said, “However, since we are a part of this council, I believe we should keep the fighting away from El Presidio. If we cannot attack Torquemada, then let us use a different approach.”

“And that would be?” one of the generals across from her sneered.

She turned her attention to him and offered strongly, “We take her head-on out in the open. We drive her and her army out into the desert and attack her there. At least no further civilian casualties would be made, or do you even care about that?”

“I do, _señorita_ , but how would you propose we drive her out of her own fortress?”

“Make her an offer she can’t refuse. Or use someone as bait.”

“And who would be foolish enough to do that sort of thing? What kind of nonsensical thing would we be able to offer her? And how can you be certain she’d even consider falling for such an obvious trap?”

Maddie angrily clasped her hands together and leaned forward on her elbows, raising her eyes expectedly at the man. “You’ve been so quick as to dismiss my ideas, _señor_. Why don’t you kindly tell us all your thoughts on the matter? What are _your_ plans to defeat _La Phantasma_?”

“It’s simple: we wait for cover of nightfall to take over Torquemada.”

“Torquemada sits on the very top of a large mesa,” Maddie countered quickly. “One can easily see for _miles_ up there. Even in the dark, she’d still see us coming. Unless there’s a night where there are absolutely no stars and no moon, or if by some pious act above that brings one hell of a thunderstorm, we’re never going to be able to get anywhere near that place.”

“What about attacking her at dawn?” another man offered. He sat nearest Reyes and looked up at the President with raised eyebrows, hoping to gain his support.

“Again, she’d be able to see us coming,” Maddie confirmed. “It wouldn’t matter if it was day or night—there’s no way of getting up there without being spotted. Torquemada has one entrance and one entrance only. We can’t sneak up to her via another path, so what else are we to do?” She looked around at the table of awestruck men and flashed her eyebrows, impatiently waiting for their input. She gestured to them, hoping they’d offer more ideas.

“Why would we even need to leave El Presidio in the first place?” a different general growled near the middle of the table. “Why worry about drawing her out or attacking her fortress when we have such a heavily-fortified base here? We have cannons and Gatling guns and high, strong walls, and we also have a high vantage point.”

“But there are a myriad of ways for which she can approach us,” Maddie argued. “There are two main roads that lead up to this place, and by the time we spot her, it would be too late. And where would the citizens go? They’re packed in here. There’s barely any moving room for neither soldier nor civilian. How would we be able to fight _La Phantasma_ when we’d be so busy clamoring over each other to get to the Gatlings and cannons?”

“What about sending scouts?” Jack suggested. “Would it work if we sent a handful of people up there at night to scope the place out, maybe even try to sneak in and take out the guards?”

“That’s too high of a risk to even consider,” another man countered, though he seemed not as aggressive as the others. “The success of that small of a party would be very low. Plus, as your wife so wisely stated, sneaking up to Torquemada is nearly impossible.”

“How about meeting with her?” a previous general suggested. “A council, if you will. We could discuss the terms of where and when the battle would take place.”

Reyes shook his head. “ _La Phantasma_ has no honor and she is wildly unpredictable—her actions leading up to this point clearly show this. Even if we were to somehow goad her into meeting with us, there’s no way of doing so without the threat of her and her men ambushing us where we stood.”

“So what do you suggest, _mi Presidente_?” Maddie asked, and with her question, all eyes came to rest on Reyes.

Reyes chanced a glance at Jack, looking for any other support or suggestions, before he scanned the men before him. “The fight will be away from El Presidio; this is nonnegotiable. My people have suffered enough, and as Missus Marston so wisely stated, enough of their blood has been spilt. As God as my witness, I will see an end to this madwoman’s anarchy! The fight will be taken to her, and we will annihilate her with all the force of God’s army in heaven. If she wants _La Limpieza_ , to happen, then so be it. We shall cleanse the country of her, not her of us.”

Around the table, the men exchanged nods and murmurs of approval. Maddie and Jack glanced at each other with mixed countenances.

“ _Qué será, será, supongo,”_ Maddie uttered.


	9. Dia de los Muertos

_The leather saddle creaked and moaned as Maddie swung it up and over her horse’s back; it settled upon the blanket and Gypsy before she adjusted it and moved it to its proper position. The rocky mountain filly flicked her ears back and glanced over her wither at her rider. The young females met gazes before looking away as Maddie reached underneath her mount’s belly and grabbed the front cinch. Her fingers fumbled with the latigo as she began tightening it in haste, looping it through the front rigging dee twice before slipping her fingers between the latigo and her horse’s side and tugging it tighter. Her hands trembled with anticipation as she finished up with the front cinch and moved on to the back cinch. A determined scowl had set upon her teenage face ever since she awoke at four that morning—she had beaten the old man in being the first to wake, and as she finished saddling her horse, she glanced over her shoulder through the open doors of the livery, suddenly realizing that she was the only one in Chuparosa that was awake. The town was eerily quiet—not even the roosters were crowing yet at this hour._

_"Looks like we’re the only ones awake, darlin’,” Maddie whispered to the filly as she walked back toward the front of her steed. Gypsy looked at her with wide, brown eyes, eager to be on the road towards whatever destination her rider had in mind. It had only been a few years since she’d had this horse, but to her, she was her best friend and trusted travelling companion. Maddie smiled to her horse and slid her hand up her muzzle and underneath her forelock. Her fingers wove themselves through the long silvery mane, and Gypsy lowered her bridled head to allow her rider to further pet between her ears. With one last scratch and an affectionate pat on her mount’s neck, the young lady withdrew her hand and set about checking over her arsenal of weapons she’d strapped to herself earlier. Her Schofield revolver was hung at her right hip while her Henry repeater was slung over her back. Both firearms were loaded and ready: she’d cleaned them and loaded them the night before while Landon was asleep in his room off of the cantina. She looked through the saddlebags one last time to make sure she’d packed plenty of ammunition. She reached her hand inside the left saddlebag and withdrew the wanted poster. She briefly looked over it, memorizing the sketch and the name of her target: Alejandro Velázquez looked grisly and imposing with his dark handlebar mustache and unkempt hair flowing out from underneath a large sombrero. His face was marred with several long, thick scars that stretched across his face, adding to his off-putting countenance. Maddie chewed on her bottom lip as she glanced over the poster one last time before stuffing it back into the saddlebag and tying it closed. With a determined smirk, she criss-crossed the reins atop the saddle horn and mounted up._

_“Come on, girl,” she said bravely down to her horse. “Let’s go prove that old coot what he thinks we can’t do.” Gently, she nudged the filly’s sides with her spurs._

_She loped her black beauty out of Chuparosa and down the winding large road. The morning air held a dreadful, biting chill to it, stinging her face and hands. With a shiver, she tucked her chin into the collar of her duster and shirt, hoping her hat would deter the wind from her face. Nevertheless, the cold morning wasn’t enough to stop her from achieving her goal, and with a burning determination and an insatiable sense of trigger twitch, she kicked her horse into a gallop as she passed Ojo del Diablo. Gypsy followed the winding road freely, unaffected by the cold air and excited to be out of her stall. Up until that point, neither horse nor rider had ridden out alone without Rickett’s permission and protective presence—Maddie knew she was breaking a cardinal rule, and the realization of doing so was both exhilarating and frightening at the same time. Ever since she’d arrived in Chuparosa, she’d been under Landon’s constant paternal vigilance and guidance._

Well, it’s about damn time I got out from underneath his possessive claws _, Maddie thought with a roll of her eyes. She scoffed as she recalled all the times he reminded her not to leave town without him. “Don’t even **think** you’re ready for the world out there, _mi niña _,” he’d warn. “You’re too hot-headed and brash. You let your gun do the thinking. You’re not ready at all. Not until you control that temper of yours.” And every time he’d admonish her, she’d roll her eyes, huff irritably, and think otherwise._

Not this time, old man _, she thought with a tenacious frown and a furrowed brow._ I’ll prove to you I can handle myself. I’ll bring in that _criminale_ and show you just how grown up I am.

_And yet, as her horse flew across the white desert sand, she couldn’t help but feel a creeping sense of dread crawl up her gut and seize her throat. Her breath caught in the lump that had developed around the choking hand of rising fear, and she struggled to breathe as she neared her destination, Tesoro Azul. She couldn’t steady her shaking hands, even as they gripped the reins so hard her knuckles turned white. She shook her head and swallowed her terror down, forcing it to disappear._

**No** , goddamn it _, she chastised herself._ No, you can do this. Landon doesn’t know what you’re capable of. He underestimates you. Now go and fuckin’ show him what you can do.

 _Tesoro Azul unexpectedly loomed before her, and she stopped her panting filly a hundred yards away from the east gate in the middle of the road. She gawked at the old run-down Catholic mission, noting how dilapidated and infested it looked. The place looked sickly, and she knew why: Alejandro and his gang had made it their home nearly two days ago, and with all the stories she’d heard in the cantina from the locals she’d come to know and love, she reached the conclusion that he was like every other_ criminale _. On the wanted poster she’d ripped off the side of the_ alcalde _last night after Landon went to sleep, it stated Alejandro was wanted for theft, murder, and arson._

He’ll be busted up and thrown in a jail cell after I’m through with him _, Maddie thought confidently as she walked her horse forward. Her left hand held the reins while her right rested on the butt of her revolver. To reassert herself, she lifted her chin bravely, inhaled deeply through her nose, and exhaled through her mouth. As she breathed, her focus began to sharpen, just as she had been taught by her tutor and father figure, the man whom she ironically was disobeying at that very moment as Gypsy timidly approached the gate. When she was fifty feet away, the horse halted and tried to turn back around, but Maddie reined her back around before spurring her sides._

_“Enough of that,” she whispered harshly to her mount. “We’re not turning back now, not when we’re already here. Walk on, Gypsy.”_

_Reluctantly, the rocky mountain filly took a step forward. She glanced back at her rider and flicked her ears back, trying to tell her that something was amiss. Stubbornly, Maddie urged her forward with another nudge of her spurs._

_“Walk. On.”_

_The spooked filly tossed her head and half-reared, making her point all the clearer that she wasn’t going to follow through with her rider’s demands._

_“Goddamn it,” Maddie spat as her mount landed back down on all fours. She dismounted and led her horse off the road and ground-tied her behind a large boulder out of sight from the gang hide-out. After the slip knot was pulled tight around the base of a thick brush, she pointed to her mount and growled, “We’re gonna work on that bad behavior when we get back, little missy.” The horse responded with another toss of her head and a nervous nicker._

_With a huff, she turned and faced the gang hideout, suddenly feeling incredibly insignificant now that she wasn’t on horseback. Before her, Tesoro Azul towered despite its decayed state. Swallowing thickly, Maddie walked forward and drew her revolver. The loud click of the hammer cracked through the morning silence as her thumb drew it back in preparation. Her breath clouded before her, and she suddenly remembered being cold. She took a brief moment to glance up at the sky and marvel at the glorious sunrise, and with it, the world was splashed with beautiful pastels as a new day began. The pinks, reds, yellows, and oranges cast themselves upon the white walls and sand and reflected them back out onto the world, lighting it up in a dazzling brilliance that gave the young girl pause in her mission for blood. She allowed herself a second to appreciate the beauty around her with a soft smirk before she resumed her toughened composure. She held her gun at the ready as she approached the gates of Tesoro Azul._

_Her frightened, heavy breathing was the only sound as she came to stand before the thick wooden doors. She took a moment to look around and access the situation_. Hmm _, she thought to herself_ , I wonder why there are no guards. _She frowned with suspicion._ Something’s not right… _..._ But maybe they’re all asleep inside and haven’t gotten around to guard duty yet. That’s probably what’s goin’ on.

_She flinched and looked back over her shoulder when Gypsy pawed the ground and whickered anxiously. Horse and rider exchanged frightened gazes before Maddie turned her attention back to the task at hand. She furrowed her brow as she looked over the gates. With her gun still at the ready, she turned and walked around to the east side of the hideout, sneaking alongside the wall as she searched for a way in._

_It was almost too easy: a stack of barrels was nestled up against the wall, giving her laughably easy access into the hideout. Her heart thundered in her chest and her breath sped up to a heavy pant as she landed on the other side. Immediately, she rushed over to the nearest source of cover. A small building before her served as her temporary refuge from assumed threats, and she crouched down beside several barrels that were placed right alongside the back of the building. With her revolver held at the ready, she took the time to slow her breathing and get a sense of her surroundings. She scanned the area around her and saw no one. When she felt confident to move, she snuck over to the edge of the building and peered around the corner with her gun raised in preparation for what she knew could very well be the start of a shoot-out._

_Her blood thundered through her veins, drowning out most of the silence in the hide-out as she strained to listen for anyone stirring about. She searched the short alley between the building she hid behind and the one next to it before looking forward at the opposite end of the courtyard. As far as she could tell, no one was awake. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve taken this place as deserted._

No _, she thought with a slight shake of her head._ No, they’re definitely around here…somewhere. I just gotta find ‘em before they find me.

_She scrambled forward and hid behind several stacked crates alongside the other building, where she stayed for two long minutes listening and observing. Her heart still raced, and her breathing rushed to catch up. Her gun shook in the air beside her shoulder as she held it at the ready. She shook her head at her unsteady hand and her cowardly nerves._

Goddamn it, _she thought to herself_ , what’s wrong with you? You’ve prepared yourself for this for God knows how long. You know how to shoot. Just breathe and think!

 _She took her time breathing deeply and clearing her head before she opened wide her senses. Immediately, she found that she could hear so much more than when she’d first dropped over the wall and entered the hideout. Somewhere nearby, men lay snoring. Further on, a horse blew and pawed the ground. A fire popped and crackled—a large building on the other side of where she knelt glowed with firelight._ There _, she thought._ There’s where they’re probably at. She glanced around, making sure she was clear, before she rose to her feet.

_She abandoned her cover and kept low and attentive as she jogged across the courtyard and hid behind a small building similar to the one she’d left. Kneeling down once more, her gun held at the ready still, she kept her shoulder close to the wall as she snuck around to the back and around the corner._

_She stopped dead in her tracks as she met an adversary. His back was turned to her, and from the looks of it, he had awoken some time ago to urinate. Maddie froze, both disgusted and embarrassed to catch him in the middle of such a private moment._ Shit! What do I do here? Do I shoot him? _She pointed her gun and stood up, her index finger hugging the trigger._ Wait…the gunshot would wake everyone else. Fuck.

_Before she could make a decision, the man finished up, tucked in, and turned around. Caught off-guard, he flinched, threw his hands up, and stared wide-eyed at her. He looked just as surprised to see her as she did him._

_Maddie then made her decision as she stepped closer to him, her gun still pointed at his chest. As much as she tried to come off threatening, she stuttered_ , _“_ N-N-No se m-mueven. Si usted habla, u-u-usted muere. ¿C-Comprende?”

_The man did exactly as she ordered: he froze in his spot, clamped his mouth shut, and nodded in affirmation._

“¿Dónde está Alejandro Velázquez?”

_He jerked his head backwards, gesturing that he was in the large building behind him. Maddie glanced over his shoulder and flicked her gaze over the building, looking at it long enough to realize it was once a mission building—the leaning cross that perched atop it gave her all the more reason to believe it was so. Directing her attention back at the man, she motioned with her gun to move forward. Without a word, the man led her slowly to the front of the building and around the corner._

_The second they rounded the corner and walked towards the front entrance, the man did the unexpected. Almost faster than she could see and react to, he turned around while simultaneously drawing his gun. In the split second she had to react, Maddie shot first, ruining all chances of stealth and condemning herself to the mercy of the rest of the men she’d woken. As the man fell dead on the steps before her, the rest of the gang within the mission building jerked awake and sprang to their feet, hastily grabbing their firearms._

_“Shit!” Maddie shrieked and sprinted away back across the courtyard. She took cover behind the stack of crates she’d hidden behind earlier. The second she slid behind them, the crates were pelted with a storm of bullets and buckshot. She screamed in terror, not anticipating the sheer amount of gunfire, nor her absolute terrible luck. How she managed to get into such a deadly situation was beyond her comprehension in that moment—it all happened so fast, and she wasn’t quick enough to turn the tides back to her favor. As she balled up into the fetal position, she flinched and yelped with each gunshot. Angry shouts and taunts were shot her way as well, jeers so nasty that she almost teared up from them. Though she wasn’t fluent in Spanish just yet, what she could pick out made her cringe and shiver._

_A blaze of searing pain erupted in her shoulder suddenly, and with a shriek of surprise and agony, she looked down and saw blood trickling down her arm. Panicking, she scrambled to her feet and darted for the far side of the building she’d first hid behind, but her right leg buckled underneath her as a bullet dug itself into her calf. She fell to the ground with a scream of excruciation._

_A strong hand suddenly grabbed her by the back of her duster and drug her across the ground towards the corner of the building. Maddie screamed in terror and tried to flail about in an effort to free herself from her captor’s grasp, but as she came to settle behind the building, she gasped instead when she stared up at her savior. The old man glared down at her with a cold countenance, his mouth pulled down into a disappointed frown underneath his grey mustache. His steel-grey eyes pierced through her painfully—the look he gave her made quite evident how much trouble she was in than she already was._

_“L-Landon!” she stuttered through her pain. She shook her head, not comprehending. “How did you—”_

_“I don’t want to hear another word out of that lyin’ mouth of yours, Madeline Ross,” he growled back in his gritty voice. He pressed his shoulder against the wall and held his revolver at the ready as he glanced around the corner, quickly accessing the situation and doing a headcount of all the men he had to take down. When he turned back to her, he said, “When this is over, you and I are gonna have one serious talk. Until then, you stay right the hell there.”_

_Maddie nodded curtly and grimaced as her bullet wounds seared. She’d never felt the blazing excruciation of a gunshot wound before, and at that moment, she felt on the edge of unconsciousness. Nausea seeped into her stomach and crept up her throat; her head swirled and her vision blurred. On the ground beneath her, droplets of her blood trickled out of her wounds and collected into two slowly-growing pools._

_All the while, Landon and the gang members exchanged gunfire. Each time Landon stepped around the corner, and fired, a scream of pain followed. Somewhere nearby, an explosion sounded, followed by the crackling of fire—one of the oil lamps had been struck by a bullet. Another round of bullets cracked in the morning; several screams accompanied._

_Sometime during the shoot-out, Maddie lost consciousness._

_When she’d awoken, everything was a blur of color. Her body was drained of all energy, and as she struggled to lift her head and look about, a soft hand touched her shoulder._

_“Don’t. You’ll only tire yourself more. Just relax. You’re safe back in Chuparosa.”_

_“Where…? What…happened?” she groggily asked. She tried to sit up, but a wave of exhaustion and vertigo caused her to fall back onto the soft bed which she lay on._

_Again, the hand touched her shoulder, now more forcibly this time. “Don’t move, I said,” the scruffy voice commanded, sounding perturbed but still overflowing with concern. His tone was calm as always but firmer more so than usual; Maddie knew her disobedience had to do with that._

_“What the hell were you thinking, Maddie?”_

_Maddie sighed and closed her eyes, knowing he was about to start chastising her._ Here we go _, she thought begrudgingly._

 _“Do you have ANY idea what you were doing? Did you not think of what almost happened? It’s a damn good thing I showed up when I did; otherwise, you’d be dead right now. What did I tell you about leaving town without me? Did I not specify that you were to NEVER leave Chuparosa without me, much less go out on your own like you so stupidly did and go after a bounty that you were so clearly not ready to pursue?_ ¡Dios mio, mi niña! ¿Por qué me desobedecen? _”_

_Maddie opened her eyes and blinked stupidly up at Landon Ricketts, not comprehending. Her Spanish wasn’t the greatest, and her gaze mirrored her confusion. Above her, Landon sighed and shook his head._

_“Why did you disobey me?” he translated bitterly, eyes piercing through her._

_Maddie shrunk into the mattress, feeling all the more foolish and small. Now, as her teacher and father-figure sat beside her staring her down demanding answers, her reasoning behind her foolish escapade wasn’t nearly enough to justify what she’d done._

_“Because I wanted to show you that I’m grown up, that I can take care of myself.”_

“Usted es un niño.” _You are only a child._

_His words stung, and she bit down on her bottom lip and looked away, unable to bring herself to look into his eyes._

“¿Por qué no escuchar a mí?”

“Yo le escucho, pero estoy….” _She trailed off when she couldn’t think of a way to translate her argument, so instead, she answered in English, “I do listen to you, but I’m tired of following orders.”_

_Landon’s frown deepened, and his gaze sharpened with building anger. “Maddie,” he growled, “I tell you to stay here because you could die outside these walls. There are men out there who would rape you and kill you if given the chance. Do you want to give them that chance? Do you want that to happen to you? If you keep up this foolish mission to prove yourself to me, then all you’ll do is end up regretting it. You’ll be killed in no time if you continue to let your emotions get the best of you.” He shook his head with heavy disappointment. “You’re too goddamn hot-headed.”_

_She opened her mouth to shoot back a nasty retort, but his expression cut her to the quick and caused her to clamp her mouth shut and swallow her response._

_“When you’ve regained your strength, I’m gonna put you to work,” Landon concurred as he leaned back in his chair. He folded his arms curtly across his chest and looked pointedly down at her with all the authority of a father to a daughter. “You’re gonna learn to not give in to your fear, and you’re gonna harness that hot-headedness and use it to your benefit. You think you can go against an entire gang by yourself? You’re nowhere near the skill you so desperately needed but didn’t have today. I saw it all: you froze up today and cowered behind those crates. You would’ve been shot up to hell if I wouldn’t have dragged you away from all that.”_

_Maddie recalled in her last moments of consciousness that Landon relinquished the safety of their cover and shot all of the gang members down in a matter of seconds. She remembered staring up in awe at her rescuer and adopted father, and a pang of jealousy and bitter respect stabbed her pride just before she blacked out and fell hard on the ground._

_She swallowed thickly as tears welled in her eyes. She inhaled deeply and did her best to not lose control and cry in front of Landon. Blinking the tears away, she looked up at him and said dejectedly,_ “Bien, mi maestro. Como quieras.”

 _For the first time since she’d regained consciousness, Landon smirked down at her_. “Muy bien, mi niña.”

 

As the flashback faded back into her well of memory, Maddie placed the marigolds she’d picked earlier at the base of the _ofrenda_. The memories of her adopted father caused her eyes to well with tears; how she missed him, especially during this time of the year.

“ _Para usted, mi maestro, mi padre_ ,” she uttered as she looked up at the altar that she, her husband, and the rest of the citizens of Mexico had created hours before. In light of its position (for they had built it amongst the blood of the betrayers of Mexico), the place within the cramped courtyard of El Presidio had now become a shrine for all to worship and honor the dead of past years, weeks, and days. A reverent silence had settled all throughout the fortress—even the soldiers banned themselves from uttering any conversations amongst their ranks. The days of honoring past loved ones had begun.

Maddie sniffed and wiped away the tears that succeeded in escaping down her cheeks. Without asking, Jack was right beside her in an instant, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead.

“You really do miss Landon, don’t you, darlin’?” he murmured.

She nodded and swallowed down the lump in her throat. “I do indeed, especially around this time of year. It’s a time of celebration, don’t get me wrong, but it still…hurts…to know he’s been gone.”

Jack nodded. “I wish I could’ve met him. Pa did when he was down here findin’ Javier Escuella.” His embrace around her tightened as his thoughts drifted to his loved ones past. “Wish you could’ve met my pa and ma. And Uncle, too. He sure was somethin’.”

A sad smile graced his wife’s lips as she rested her head against his chest. “Yeah. I never get old of your stories. Tell me more.”

And so he did. As other people came and went adorning the _ofrenda_ with the trinkets of their deceased loved ones, as well as lit candles and bottles of tequila, he recalled a particular fond memory he had with his parents, the very night his father returned to the ranch after completing his job with Edgar Ross.

“Did I ever tell you about the night that Pa came home?”

“You have, sweetheart, but go on anyways. Tell it once more, to honor your father on this day.”

After a deep breath, he began, “It was damn near dark. Uncle and I had just finished up with chores—well, _I_ had. Uncle just stood there leanin’ against a pitchfork tellin’ me this and that. I’d just gotten done, when I swore I heard Pa’s voice callin’ out to us. When I ran out of the barn, I saw him and Ma hugging in front of the house. I didn’t know what to do then—a part of me was pissed at him for not being there for me and Ma, but another part of me was just too damn happy to see him home finally.

“But I went and hugged him, though I felt mighty disappointed—all the livestock was dead and gone, and it didn’t matter what I tried to do to keep ‘em alive. Uncle didn’t seem like much help. I was surprised Pa wasn’t upset when I told him all that had happened and how I tried my damndest. Hell, he didn’t even bat an eye, just said, “I know you did, son”.” He paused to chuckle as he recalled Uncle’s timely entrance to the conversation. “And then here comes Uncle, all hot and bothered, and he points at my pa and goes, “And don’t you go blamin’ me.” So him and Pa got into it a little bit, and of course my pa won the argument. Uncle never did have much fight in him, much less any ambition or a work ethic to boot. But we all settled down after that and went in the house and had some of Ma’s best cooking. It was just a good night.”

Maddie wrapped her arms around Jack’s waist and smiled up at him. “Sounds like a grand reunion for you all.”

“It really was. Just wish things didn’t go the way they went.”

Her smile faded as she lowered her gaze and sighed. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry, Jack.”

“Hey, you didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t go blamin’ yourself for the things your uncle did.”

She was quiet for a time. “So…what happened then? Were you able to spend time with your father before…?”

He nodded. “Yeah. We got cattle from Bonnie, he taught me how to shoot and hunt...and he saved me from a bear I tried to hunt myself. I almost didn’t make it.”

“He sounds like he was a wonderful father.”

“He was. Rough around the edges a bit, but he did what he could with the time he had…or the time he thought he had.”

“He was a better father than mine,” Maddie confessed as she turned and looked back at the _ofrenda_.

The dozens of candles made the altar glow with ethereal, pious light, as if the souls of the dead had returned and brought with them their aura of a life since passed. Tears once again threatened to spill from her brown eyes as she took in the bittersweet view before her: the women, men, and children of Mexico either knelt, sat, or stood before the altar talking to it, as well as sharing stories with one another about their departed loved ones; hundreds of marigolds and other beautiful wildflowers adorned the altar and the ground surrounding it, as well as all the trinkets that the people placed there; the air was thick with bittersweet remembrance and a reverence for the deceased. Maddie looked down as she reached within her shirt and withdrew the locket she wore always. She opened it and stared fondly at her mother’s faded wedding picture.

Once again, she felt her beloved’s gentle, reassuring touch as she continued to gaze at the photo. The memories of her mother flooded her mind; the assailment was staggering, filled with so much adoration, sadness, and yearning. Though she was long gone, she heard her mother’s voice clearly as she sang Irish lullabies and folk songs, remembered how her green eyes shown so fiercely and proudly as she shared gazes with her, felt her assuaging, motherly touch as she combed her gentle fingers through her growing locks in an effort to undo the tangles they’d received from running around wildly and care-free.

“You miss your ma, too, don’t you?” Jack said as he wiped away his wife’s tears.

Maddie sniffed and nodded. “Just as much as I miss Landon, if not more. They were both very important to me, and once again on this day, I am reminded that they’re not around.”

She was enveloped by his comforting embrace once more, with a gentle kiss on the forehead to punctuate his affection. “Tell me about her, Madeline; tell me about your mama again. I’m sure she’d appreciate bein’ remembered.”

It was difficult for her to find her voice, and for a time, she stood there silently weeping as she cuddled against Jack’s chest. When at last she could find the words, she began tenderly, “Mama was always so strong, so loving. She was fearless, even when she stood her ground against the men who tried to steal from our farm. Even in the face of certain death, she was fearless, and for that, I am honored to have been her daughter. She was fearless in a way I could never dream to emulate. I wish I was the woman she was.”

“You are, Madeline. Hell, I’d say you’re just as fearless as your mother, if not more. The things you’ve accomplished and the hardships you’ve endured have proven to me many times over that you’re one hell of a woman. It doesn’t take a blind man to see that you’re just like your mother, if not more. I think she’d be proud of you. Hell, I certainly am.” He kissed her lovingly on the lips before adding, “Just go on. Keep tellin’ me more about her.”

“She was an Irish woman sent over from the homeland overseas to America—she was a mail-order bride, you see, and she was sent over to my father. She was such a beautiful, fierce little thing. Of course, bein’ new to America scared the hell out of her, but she quickly let it be known that she wasn’t going to give in to fear and loathing, even when she married my pa. I suppose after a time, she fell in love with him…or at least, she pretended to be just so she could get on with life and do the best she could do with her situation. Pa had given her a nice farm and a good home, I suppose, but she didn’t want to live the life she was living. And when I was born, things weren’t the greatest, either. Pa was on and off the bottle throughout their marriage, and he didn’t treat her as good as he should’ve. I noticed this especially whenever I saw a fresh bruise upon her fair white skin. But her green eyes still burned with determination, and as she covered her shame with more clothing, she did her best not to let it deter her. I guess the life that she yearned for was unobtainable; what she couldn’t do, she taught me. My stubbornness and my wanderlust comes from her—what she couldn’t do, she made sure I could.”

“As well you’ve shown me many times over, Maddie,” Jack chuckled. “You are your mother’s daughter, alright.”

“And damn proud of it, too.”

“You should be.”

The tears of sadness turned to tears of pride as she lifted her gaze up to him and smiled. “Indeed, I am.”

“I think Landon and your mother would be very proud of you. I’m sure that if they were still around, they’d be praising you right now.”

Her smile lessoned into a sad frown. “I know they would be.” She looked to the _ofrenda_ and sighed. “Even in this celebration, I feel their lack of presence—the holes they’ve left within me are vast and deep, raw and bleeding.”

“I know what you mean,” Jack sighed and turned his gaze to the altar as well. “I bet you everyone here has had their fair share of loss, especially since that demon of a woman has been out there ruining people’s lives.” His heart ached with sadness as he saw the many families strewn around the altar, most of them undoubtedly torn apart by _La Phantasma’s_ madness. His arms tightened around his wife as his mind conjured up horrible scenarios—what would he do if he lost the last thing he had left in his life? _I wouldn’t know what to do if she got hurt_ , he thought as he looked down at his wife. Without hesitation, he kissed her lovingly, doing his best to wipe his mind clean of all the horrendous possibilities. _That’s not gonna happen_ , he swore to himself. _I won’t let it happen. I’ve lost enough people in my life. I won’t let it happen again, even if it kills me._

“I love you,” he whispered to her as he pulled away. He rested his forehead against hers and cupped the side of her face with a gentle hand.

“And I love you,” she answered lovingly. She lifted a hand to his face in return and caressed his cheek. “Forever and always.”

Husband and wife stood silent and unmoving, their arms around the other and their faces merely inches away from each other. Amidst the utterances of loved ones past, among the crowd of the Mexican people remembering their dearly departed, the two stood savored each other’s presence. The suffering and carnage that they’d witnessed, the tribulations they’d surpassed to get to their safe haven, and the impending threat of what was to come was farthest from their minds then as they held each other tightly. Right now, the only thing they cared for was each other. Whether their safety lasted minutes or days from now, they couldn’t tell, but at that moment, it was all they could hold onto—it was all they were certain of.

Because in just a few days’ time, everything would change. In a few days’ time, they might not have the certainty they clung onto then.


	10. Asesina

The tears and moans of the living mourning the loss of their loved ones passed had all passed that night as the real celebration began. Shortly after the people paid their respects to the _ofrenda_ , the women and children set to work making meals out of the food supply that Reyes and his army had supplied. El Presidio became alive with movement as the pungent smells of authentic Mexican food was being prepared over several small fires. Traditional bread, _pan de_ _muerto_ , was kneaded and baked, sugar skulls were made and placed all around the _ofrenda_ and all around El Presidio, and tamales and _mole negro_ were tediously prepared. The men took to unboxing bottles of tequila and other fine alcohol from crates both from the wagons and within El Presidio itself. The crates, boxes, and tables were moved into the plaza and positioned in rows for seating room; some room had been saved around the _ofrenda_ out of respect. As day turned quickly to night, the people of Mexico transformed from mourning victims to vivacious celebrators.

Candles, torches, and the small fires that had been previously lit for cooking now served as beacons of light as night blanketed the world. Within several hours, the food was eaten with gusto, the alcohol was drunk with wild abandon, and the people laughed, sang, and conversed happily.

Amongst the sudden change in everyone’s character, Jack sat stunned and speechless. In silence, he ate his share of the delicious meal and sipped on a bottle of the finest tequila he’d ever tasted. He was quiet for a lengthy time as he sat looking about at the strange customs of Mexico. He was both fascinated and wary of what he saw about him: nearly every single person’s face had been painted to make it look like a skull. Some people painted only half their face, others their entire face and neck, but all were adorned with ornate facial decoration. Many people even went to great lengths to don different attire: the women had changed into beautiful, brightly-colored dresses, whereas the men changed into suits. Not all of the citizens could partake in such lengthy ornamentation, particularly the very poor and the ones who had been driven hastily from their homes for fear of _La Phantasma_ ransacking their town. Nevertheless, the people did what they could to fashion themselves as best they could in their current predicament. Where they in their own towns and everything was as it should’ve been, _Dia de Los Muertos_ would’ve been a much better, more elaborate celebration.

“You’re awful quiet,” Maddie murmured in-between mouthfuls of her tamale. She took the bottle from her idle husband and took a healthy swig of it.

“I’m just…observin’,” he replied in a confused mutter. So as not to appear rude to the people who sat beside him and his wife, he leaned in closer to her and whispered, “So why is everyone’s faces done up? It’s creepin’ me out.”

Maddie laughed and explained, “Death is celebrated here in Mexico. Were we in America, we’d mourn over the loss of a loved one, and while that does still happen here, the people choose to instead remember their loved ones with fond memories and celebration. Death is a part of life; it’s just as important.”

“I get that,” he said, “but I don’t get why they gotta look like skulls. Why do they do that?”

She smiled at him with adoration at his naiveté. “They paint their faces to overcome their fear of death.” She gestured to the celebration around them. “They do all of this as a reminder that death comes to us all, and that we should appreciate life.”

Jack merely frowned in response to this and shook his head as he retrieved the tequila from his wife. “It still creeps me out,” he uttered before taking a drink.

“Then you must still fear death.”

“I don’t,” he countered quickly as he looked into her eyes. “You and I both know how many times we’ve almost died.” He paused to look his wife over carefully. “Do you fear death?”

She blinked slowly. “Do you even know who you’re talkin’ to, Jack?”

He chuckled and replied, “Never mind.”

They ate in silence for a time before Jack spoke up once again.

“Do you think these people are still terrified?”

“Of what?”

“Of _La Phantasma_. You’d think they wouldn’t want to celebrate, especially after everything that’s happened here in Mexico.”

“That gives them _even more reason_ to celebrate, Jack,” Maddie answered wisely. “What better way to retaliate against _La Phantasma’s_ insanity than to laugh and dance and drink? Why _wouldn’t_ they want to celebrate the fact that they’re all still somehow alive? Even in the darkest of times, there’s always a reason to celebrate.” She motioned to the people surrounding them with an upturned hand and a smile. “Look at these people, Jack. They deserve to be happy. Sure, they could all die tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean they can’t go without smiles on their faces and great memories in their minds. Besides, death would seem a sweet reprieve to those who miss their loved ones dearly.”

“You speak as though you know that feeling yourself,” Jack commented softly. He paused before asking grimly, “Have you ever wished for death?”

“In my younger years I entertained that idea once or twice. This was before I met you. Hell, you remember how reckless I was back then.”

“Back then?” he chuckled. “You still are, darlin’.”

She frowned at him but continued on, “Landon himself noticed my reckless tendencies, and although he tried to rid me of them, I still found myself riding into danger. But I’ve made my peace with death a long time ago. I guess living in Mexico after I lost Mama and I left my father had an effect on my outlook on life and death. Death is neither good or bad—it just is what it is.” She smiled in an effort to lighten the dark conversation. “But that was then, and this is now. Tonight, my love, we celebrate.”

They each took a swig of tequila before kissing softly.

Off nearby the _ofrenda_ , a group of people had begun to dance. Maddie watched them for a time before she smirked and looked back at her husband. “Will you dance with me?” Maddie cooed.

“You know I can’t,” Jack chuckled back.

A disappointed frown tugged at the corners of her mouth. She sighed and nodded. “I wish you would.”

“Darlin’, you know I can’t keep up with you, even after all the times you tried to teach me. You’ve said it yourself: I’m as uncoordinated as a drunken three-legged donkey.”

She guffawed and beamed at him. “I said no such thing!” she laughed.

“Like hell you didn’t,” he chortled and kissed her once more. As he pulled away, he nodded to a group of dancers and said, “Go and dance, darlin’. I know you want to.”

She tugged at his hand. “Come with me!”

“I’ll step on your feet with my…how did you word it?... “hooves from hell”.”

She threw him a chastising look. “You won’t ever learn if you don’t start. Come on and dance with me, you stubborn ass.” Again, she tugged on his hand.

Jack sighed and took a moment to deliberate. On the one hand, he was relatively drunk, but not drunk enough to not care about making a fool out of himself. On the other, he wished nothing more than to show off his wife to everyone, to parade her around like the prairie princess she was. He glanced at the bottle of tequila in his hand, shrugged, and took another drink. As he set the bottle down, he said, “Gimme some time to think on it, darlin’. In the meantime, you go and dance. I know you wanna show off.”

Reluctantly, she released his hand and sighed, looking down at him with a defeated scowl. “I’m never gonna get you to dance with me, am I?”

“If I get drunk enough, I’ll do you the honor. But we’ll see, darlin’.”

“Then drink up, Jack. You’re gonna dance with me one way or another.”

He laughed boisterously. “Yes, ma’am.”

With one last disdained look at him over her shoulder, Maddie turned and jogged over to the group of dancers. She immediately joined in, falling into step and the rhythm with the guitar and violin as naturally as her heart beat the rhythm of life within her chest. Jack watched with pride as his wife twirled and bounced about with as much grace and beauty as a prancing mustang at play, her long hair fanning out and swirling with each movement. She took the hands of a young man, who was no older than eighteen or so, and they two-stepped around in the circle that the dancers had formed around them to watch. Maddie danced with several other men and women, as well as by herself. She became the stand-alone performer in the crowd; as usual, Jack was mesmerized, becoming entranced and succumbing to the spell she wove with each twirl and sway of her body and long dark tresses.

He nearly fell out of his chair when someone sat rather clumsily down next to him. Startled out of his reverie, Jack turned and frowned as he met gazes with President Reyes, who was looking incredibly intoxicated. A stupid grin spread across his lips as he acknowledged Jack’s presence with a respectful bow of his head. Holding back a chortle, Jack returned the gesture in kind.

“It isss a beeeautiful sight, nnnooo?” Reyes slurred happily as he motioned with a broad wave of his hand to the crowd dancing and drinking away their sorrows and fears.

Jack nodded and took another sweet sip of the tequila. “It is. These people needed this, especially after everything they’ve gone through.”

“ _Exactammmente_ , Marston. We _all_ deserve to celebrate; we’ve ssssurvvvived _La Phantasma_ ssso far, and very soon, we shall be rrrid of her once ‘n’ for all. Then we can **_REALLY_** celebrate, _mi amigo_. I shall ttthhhrow the _GREATEST_ p _-_ party at my palace, ‘n’ all of Mexico will dance ‘n’ drink ‘n’ _propagate_ this c-country once mmmore! You _mmmust_ come, Jack! It would b-be gloooorious to have the ssson of J-John Marston by mmmy side as we c-celebrate our hard-earned victory!”

“We gotta defeat _La Phantasma_ first before we can get to celebratin’,” Jack pointed out with a slight chuckle. “One thing at a time, mister.”

“Are you _afraid_ of her, Marston?” Reyes scoffed. He swayed in his seat and squinted threateningly at him. “Do y-you doubt me ‘n’ my army? I would cccertainly hope not.”

“I don’t doubt you or your army, mister—I just don’t want to jump the gun. We haven’t even started fighting, and you’re already talking up how wonderful your celebration will be. Anything can happen in a couple days.”

The conversation ran dry as they studied each other once more with quizzical countenances—the men didn’t know what to think about each other. Not knowing how else to continue their discourse, they looked out at the dancing, drinking, and feasting that happened all around them. Not a single person looked to be in a mortified or anxious mood—every woman and man Jack laid his eyes on, he saw only absolute happiness (even if it were drunken happiness) on their faces. The citizens of Mexico had danced, drank, and talked their sorrows and fears away hours ago. Not one of them looked to be in a melancholic or brooding mood, even though they all were aware of the impending war—for now, all that mattered was to celebrate life, both their own lives and the lives of their loved ones passed.

As if on cue, Maddie emerged within the crowd, twirling in a circle and laughing as she held onto the hands of a little girl. Jack’s eyes instantly snagged on her, and he smiled as he watched her and the child spinning together. The girl squealed with joy and laughed as Maddie spun her faster and faster until her little bare feet had left the ground. Maddie spun her around until she began to stumble, at which point she quickly slowed down and set the girl back down on her feet. Engulfed in felicity, the two laughed and smiled at each other. A wash of adoration and an unknown emotion engulfed Jack’s heart as he watched his wife pick up the little girl and set her on her hip. From somewhere deep within him, he felt a strange yearning as he stared at how natural and happy Maddie appeared with the child as she shared exuberant gazes with the adorable girl.

“You are a lucky man, Marston,” Reyes commented suddenly. “She is a beautiful woman.”

Jack blinked out of his reverie and looked over at the President. He didn’t know what to say to the man’s observation, but he felt a flare of anger as he saw a hunger within Reyes’ eyes as he watched Maddie.

“Yes, _my wife_ certainly is,” Jack growled.

The hunger was gone as soon as Reyes blinked and met gazes with Jack, whose own eyes speared through him. The President hastily smiled at him and, flushing with embarrassment and inebriation, cleared his throat and attempted to rise from his seat. “Well,” he said as he unsteadily got up, “I hope you enjoy yourssself t-tonight.” He threw him a sly smile and nudged his arm suggestively. “I cccertainly will b-be doing that in a short while.”

“We’ll see, mister.”

With a drunken smile, Reyes nodded down at him before stumbling after a particularly busty, scantily clad woman who was passing their table. Jack shook his head in disgust as he watched the President chase after her, half-stumbling, half-running in hot pursuit. The woman didn’t look too entirely hard to get, seeing as she draped her arm over his shoulder, and he hers, as they began talking and standing quite close, their lips to each other’s ears.

“Looks like someone’s on the hunt tonight.”

Jack cleared his throat and looked away as Maddie came to sit beside him. As his eyes came to rest upon hers, a strong wave of affection washed over his heart, and he smiled as he took her hands in his. He wanted to say so much to her just then, but instead, he pulled her into a loving embrace and kissed her passionately. Up until that point, he hadn’t wished for a child, and neither did Maddie…but something inside him ached. _I wonder if she feels the same_ , he thought as he pulled away and looked into her eyes once more.

Her eyes searched his, looking for an explanation for the sudden affection. She opened her mouth to voice her concern, but he beat her to it.

“When this is over, and we get back home, I think we should settle down.”

She blinked. “Jack…. what are you saying?”

“What I’m sayin’ is….”

He was about to finish his sentence when he felt a wash of uneasiness. He couldn’t shake the feeling of a pair of eyes of an unseen and unwanted observer had fallen upon him. Blinking, he turned his head and sat staring at the crowd of dancing people. He searched for the person that had made him uncomfortable, and his uneasiness rose quickly to internal panic as his gaze fell on the spy. Standing on the other side of the dancers was a woman with a painted face and long dark hair that fell to her waist. She was dressed like any other commoner, normal-looking even, but something about her made Jack’s stomach churn. As his eyes met hers, the hair on the back of his neck stood straight up and his body instantly tensed.

“Jack, what’s wrong?” Maddie asked, instantly picking up on his discomfort.

“Maddie……Look.”

She followed his gaze and sat staring alongside him at the woman. She blinked and glanced back at her husband. “Jack, she’s just a woman. So what?”

“It’s….. _her_.”

Maddie turned her attention back to the woman, who was now moving along with the dancers and blending perfectly in with them. It was almost impossible for her to discern the woman from the rest of them, except for the red floral patterns that were painted on her face.

“Jack, are you saying that’s _La Phantasma_?” she chortled. “That’s absurd. To think she’d be so stupid as to come into the most heavily guarded fortress…”

He shrugged. “What better night than for her to do so, Maddie?” He gestured to everyone around them. “Everyone here has a painted face.”

A flash of terror crossed Maddie’s face. “But how would she even get in? There’s soldiers everywhere.”

Jack shrugged, utterly clueless. “Let’s just keep an eye on her, just to be sure. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to take any chances.”

His wife nodded in agreement. “Act naturally. Let’s not make it too obvious we’re watching her.”

Despite the unshakable urge to stand up and draw his weapon and fire, Jack nodded as well and took a deep breath.

Twenty long minutes passed; in the midst of acting normal and talking and drinking, Jack and Maddie kept a close watch on the woman, who hadn’t so much as made any sort of threatening act. She was drinking and talking alongside the rest of the citizens, laughing even. Still, the Marstons eyed her warily.

“She’s acting too normal,” Jack whispered in Maddie’s ear. He cupped her face and acted like he was kissing her neck so as not to arouse the strange woman’s suspicion.

“Should we warn Reyes?” Maddie uttered back, glancing at her out of the corner of her eye.

“No. Let’s wait and see what she does.”

“Wait…Where’s Reyes?”

A cold wash of panic surged through Jack as he leaned away from his wife and looked around. He spotted the President across the courtyard, who was sitting at a table nearby where Jack and Maddie’s horses, alongside several other horses, were hitched, drunkenly kissing the woman he’d chased after not long ago. Jack pointed him out with a nod and replied, “He’s…busy at the moment.”

Maddie followed his gaze and wrinkled her nose in disgust. “ _Dios mio_ ,” she uttered with a shake of her head. “ _¡Lo que es un cerdo!_ ”

“What’d you say?”

“What a pig,” she translated.

The woman they’d kept such a vigilance on suddenly set her drink down and politely excused herself from the group of people she was conversing with. She turned and walked around the dancing citizens, passing by five feet away from Jack and Maddie. Despite themselves, the bounty hunters tensed as she skirted around them.

Their trepidation turned to dread as the glow of the moon and nearby torches reflected off a metallic surface through the slit of her skirt, right in the middle of her right thigh. Whether or not it was a knife or a gun, the Marstons couldn’t tell, but what they did know was that the woman was now making a move, whatever it might be.

Reyes, still in the throes of sloppily kissing the woman, had no idea that the woman was slowly making her way towards him, politely placing a hand on the shoulders of the people she was trying to move past. Her polite apologies suddenly stopped the nearer she was to the President. With no further proof needed to verify that the woman was indeed _La Phantasma_ , Maddie and Jack sprung to their feet and raced after her, shoving their way through the crowd.

They were nowhere near the President to aid him as _La Phantasma_ suddenly sprinted forward, reaching through the slit in her skirt as she quickly shortened the distance between her and her target. Finally, Reyes suspected something was amiss as the woman he was kissing suddenly stopped when she saw the _asesina_ rush towards them out of the corner of her eye.

She was upon him without warning, slashing a large dagger at him with incredible speed. Despite being inebriated, Reyes was able to shy away from her attack, but only by mere inches. Her blade cut open his shirt, and as he stumbled up to his feet and turned to run, she swung the dagger back around and made contact with his flesh. The blade sunk in deep into his right shoulder blade; _La Phantasma_ bared her teeth with frustration and let out a frenzied shriek when her dagger didn’t fall true to her aim, so she withdrew the dagger from Reyes’ flesh, sending a stream of his blood flying behind her. Reyes cried out in excruciation and, wildly panicking, darted away from her. Eyes aflame with maniacal rage, she attacked once again, thrusting her blood-streaked blade towards Reyes’ chest.

As nearby soldiers turned and caught sight of what was happening, a gunshot suddenly sounded amidst the crowd. A soldier who seemed out of place had fired his gun in the air, drawing some of the soldiers’ and citizens’ attention. All of the sudden, it was pandemonium; the people of Mexico scattered and darted around like frightened cattle in a round pen; nearby soldiers rushed forward to aid their wounded President, but it was made even more difficult as they tried to push past the sea of rushing, stumbling, panicking citizens. In the midst of all the terror, a soldier nearest the imposter pointed his pistol at him, but the betrayer had drawn his gun faster and shot the soldier in the chest, killing him instantly.

A soldier who was stationed on the second level of the fortress, near the two cannons on the north side, suddenly rushed down the steps and, instead of apprehending her and protecting the President, shot down anyone who was in his way, including citizens. He cleared the path leading to the cannons, and by the time Jack, Maddie, and the soldiers had reached Reyes, the President had fallen to the ground while _La Phantasma_ made a break for it, leaping up the stairs and over the fallen unfortunate. By that time, the other soldier who was in league with her had caught up and was guarding her from the rear, shooting at Reyes’ soldiers and at the bounty hunters that chased after them.

By the time the soldiers and the Marstons could get a clear shot, the two men who’d helped _La Phantasma_ escape rushed past her on the steps and over to the fortress wall between the cannons. They slid to a stop and helped hoist their fearless leader up and over the break in the wall before they scaled it themselves. Their efforts to avenge the President and smite _La Phantasma_ were in vain as the group reached the wall, only to watch helplessly as _La Phantasma_ and her two escorts gallop away on their horses. Even as they all started shooting, the three assassins sped away, their horses kicking up clouds of dust and vanishing into the night.


	11. Espias

The crack in the wall was the only flaw that the _asesina_ was able to exploit, and upon climbing up and over to the other side after they ceased fire, the Marstons discovered with a start and a yelp of horror the two naked bodies of the soldiers who had been posted at that part of the wall. The men had been skillfully and silently dispatched with a throwing knife to their throats, then disposed over on the other side of the wall.

“ _Madre de Dios_ ,” Maddie gasped. She and her husband stood over the corpses with slack-jawed surprise, amazed at the large puddle of blood that had collected around the bodies. “The men she had with her took the uniforms right off these poor bastards’ bodies. It’s no wonder she was able to slip past all the soldiers and just walk right in.” She shook her head, bewildered and furious at the same time. “That clever _puta_.”

“She’s got good aim, I’ll give her that,” Jack begrudgingly grumbled back as he knelt down over one of the bodies and examined the throwing knife that protruded out of the man’s neck. With a jerk of his arm, he wrenched the knife out and held it aloft, studying the short, sharp blade.

Maddie snorted as she put her hands on her hips. “Shit, Jack, she could’ve killed a lot more people had we not’ve chased her out.”

“Yeah, but we still lost a lot of people tonight,” he murmured guiltily.

“I know.”

Jack wiped the dead man’s blood on his body before standing back up and handing it to Maddie. “Looks like they’re gonna have to dig three more graves.” He took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair with a ragged sigh. “We keep losing people, Maddie. This just _pisses me off_.”

“I know.” She pocketed the throwing knife and put a comforting hand on her husband’s shoulder. “C’mon. We gotta tell the President about this…if he’s still alive, that is.”

He nodded and returned his hat to his head. He gestured for his wife to follow as he turned back to the wall. He stood by the crack with his hands down by his knees, cupping them into a step for Maddie. She gently placed her right boot in his hands, and as she grasped the cracked ledge, Jack hoisted her up and over with little effort. Once she was up and over, she turned back around and offered a hand to him, but he had already jumped up and crawled over to the other side, landing spritely beside her.

As fast as the bustling people around them would allow, the bounty hunters made their way through the mass hysteria that now choked El Presidio. The citizens of Mexico had resorted to huddling close to one another in the farthest corners of the fortress, crying out in terror and weeping openly. Most of the soldiers had rallied around them, their weapons at the ready should _La Phantasma_ have any other schemes afoot in what they all thought was the safest place in the country. When they finally reached the President, they faltered in mid-step, shocked at what they saw.

Several blood splatters had stained the ground where Reyes had fallen during the assassination attempt; the ground was upturned and littered with scrambling boot prints and scrapes. Not ten feet away from the scene of the assault, Reyes was seated at a table. Blood from the wound he’d received from _La Phantasma_ had trickled down the right sleeve of his shirt and soaked through the luxurious fabric. One of the doctors within his army was tending to his wound as fast as he could. While the bleeding had luckily been stanched, the remaining damage was more than Reyes could comprehend—the wounds he now carried were only partially seen. A confounded countenance had settled over his once arrogant and prideful visage; he watched with white-faced shock as his people scrambled about around him. His soldiers were hastily tending to those who could be saved…and those who couldn’t. A group of his men were carrying the dead outside the walls; shovels were fetched, and the long, enervating task of digging graves began. Another group went from one injured citizen to the next, doing what they could with the wounds that the poor innocents had received in the onslaught of _La Phantasma’s_ outrageous stunt.

“ _Señor Presidente_ ,” Maddie said, softly approaching him, “are you all right?”

It took Abraham a long moment to focus his clouded eyes on her. He blinked and nodded numbly. Utter despair and shock bore down on him; he bowed his head and hunched over, breathing through the pain as the doctor tended to him. He knew he’d been bested in his own fortress and made a mockery in front of his people.

A brief moment of stunned silence fell over them before Jack looked to the doctor and asked, “Is he gonna be all right, mister?”

“He’ll make it, though I’m amazed at how lucky he is,” the man replied as he finished stitching up the President’s wound. He tied the knot and snipped the remaining catgut with his knife. “ _La Asesina_ was really close to hitting his lungs. I’m amazed she didn’t stay to finish him off.”

“We made sure she wouldn’t harm anyone else tonight,” Maddie answered.

The man made eye contact with her and stared her down. “Did you kill her?”

Maddie bit down on her bottom lip and avoided his gaze. “She got away.”

“Then chase after that _puta!_ She tried to kill the President! She shouldn’t get away with this!”

“It’s too late,” Jack pointed out. “By the time we’d get our horses ready, she’ll be back at Torquemada, and I don’t know ‘bout you, but I’m not too keen on ridin’ out there askin’ for a death wish. Besides, she’s probably got a posse out there waitin’ for us.”

The doctor scoffed at them. “And you call yourselves bounty hunters. Ha!”

Maddie bristled and stomped forward, shouting, _“¡No me joda,_ _tú_ _hijo de puta!_ _¿Por lo menos sabe con quién está hablando, idiota? Voy a_ —”

Jack planted a firm hand to her shoulder and pulled her away from what he could only assume to be the beginning of a heated confrontation. Throwing his wife a chastising look, he looked back at the doctor and asked, “What do you want us to do, then? Risk our lives by going out there in pitch-black darkness and gettin’ shot off our horses by that bitch and her band of renegades? You need us here just as much as you need Reyes and his soldiers to defend this fort.”

 _“_ _¿Qué diferencia hace?_ _”_ the doctor demanded, growing red in the face with fury and fear. “This place is as unsafe as anywhere else in this godforsaken country!” He waved the bounty hunters away. “Go and make yourselves useful, _maldita sea_!”

As much as they wanted to further argue with the bereaved man, Maddie and Jack held their tongues and turned away from him. They knew he was right, and as they looked out at the scrambling, bustling, weeping citizens and soldiers, never had they felt as helpless and as useless as the man had made them out to be until that moment.

“This is insane,” Jack murmured. He looked over at his wife. “What are we doin’ here, Maddie?”

She shook her head, utterly clueless as to what to say. Tears welled in her eyes as she gawked at the madness around them.

In an effort to comfort her, Jack wrapped an arm around his wife and suggested, “C’mon. Let’s prove that asshole wrong and make ourselves useful.”

They helped tend to the citizens, mending what wounds they could and offering condolences to those who lost their loved ones. The sheer amount of effort it took to remain calm and positive around such anguish and panic was exhausting, and after several hours of helping the people regain their composure, the sun had begun to rise. Despite the urge to retire to their room and sleep, the bounty hunters felt it necessary to see how Reyes was fairing, and if he was planning a retaliation. After a much-needed cup of coffee, they made their way to the main building.

As they drew nearer and nearer, an indiscernible voice could be heard coming from the meeting room. It began as an indistinguishable mumble, then thunderous yelling, and finally, as they stopped before the door, it had matured to a vicious tirade. Jack and Maddie hesitated to enter and exchanged dubious looks.

“Sounds like our _Presidente_ is back to his old tyrannical self,” Maddie murmured, rolling her eyes.

Jack nodded in wary agreement. Readying himself, he cautiously opened the door and stepped through.

The Marstons were bombarded by a most disturbing scene: Reyes stood at the head of the conference table, standing up out of his chair and roaring obscenities in rapid Spanish, banging his left fist repeatedly down on the table and shouting at his generals, who all sat around the table in absolute silence, their jaws clamped shut for fear of setting off the President even further. Despite having just been attacked and wounded, with his right arm confined in a sling, the man was now full of life and lividity. No longer was Abraham’s face pale; now, it was a deep shade of red. No longer was he in silent shock; now, he was viciously irate.

So overtaken by his rage was Reyes that he failed to notice the bounty hunters’ presence—they slipped silently into the room and stood at the far corner. They, alongside with the fear-stricken generals, kept their tongues at bay and allowed the ranting man to curse and ramble on until he stood panting and glaring at each and every man at the table.

At last, one of the generals hesitantly spoke up. “ _Señor Presidente, si me lo permite—”_

Reyes silenced him by banging his fist on the table and roaring, _“¡NO! ¡NO HABLES!_ ”

Bravely, Maddie took Jack’s hand before stepping forward and asking, _“_ _¿Y nosotros? ¿Se nos permite hablar?”_

Reyes’ face flushed even deeper with a wash of outrage, surprise, and embarrassment. Still panting, he straightened up from his bent stance, cleared his throat, and ran a hand through his unkempt hair in an attempt to regain his composure.

Not knowing what was being said, Jack followed his wife’s lead and came to stand beside her, looking from her to Reyes and back. He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, “Maddie, what’s goin’ on?”

She ignored his inquiries but spoke in English so that he could understand. “ _Señor Presidente_ , I would like to speak, with your permission, of course.”

“You have no right to speak here, _gringa_ ,” Reyes hissed. “This discussion is of no importance to you.”

A hot flame of rage flared up within Jack. He came to his wife’s defense with no hesitation as he stepped forward and growled, “I’d watch what you say to my wife, Reyes.” He stared the President down with a glare that could make an alpha wolf bow out. “You forget who you’re talkin’ to.”

The men exchanged heated expressions, waiting for the other to back out of the stand-off. Jack steadfastly refused—he was tired of the way his wife was treated, and he wasn’t about to let another man speak so low of her, regardless of his stature.

“And _you_ forget who _you’re_ talking to, Marston,” the President snarled back.

Not a single person in the room dared to breathe.

Before either man could say something truly damning, Maddie stepped forward and proclaimed, “I have information regarding how _La Phantasma_ entered your fortress. If I may, _señor_ , I think it would prove beneficial to you and your _generales_ that I relay the knowledge my husband and I have discovered.”

Every man at the table turned their heads from Maddie to Reyes and back, not daring to speak and curious as to how the conversation would further unfold. Red-faced and panting, Abraham stood glaring at the bounty hunters with a contempt snarl, looking hell-bent on demanding further silence from every single person in the room.

“ _Bien_ ,” the President grunted. He angrily beckoned her to speak on with a jerk of his upturned palm.

Maddie reached into her duster and withdrew the throwing knife from the inner pocket. She held it aloft so that all could clearly see it and said, “This was found in the neck of one of your soldiers stationed by the break in the wall. He and another unfortunate soldier were assassinated and stripped of their uniforms. I am certain you can figure out the rest.”

 _“¡Eso es imposible!”_ one of the generals shouted. “Those men we had stationed there couldn’t have let _La Asesina_ take advantage! _¡No es posible!_ ”

“ _Así, es posible si crees que es o no es_ ,” Maddie countered. “Out of all the places she could’ve gotten over, it was _certainly_ that spot.”

The rest of the generals sat in stunned silence. At the head of the table, however, Reyes stood quaking with outrage.

“ ** _How dare she!_** ” Abraham shouted. “ _How dare she think she can outsmart my army and come into my fortress! She will **pay** for this!_” He looked to his generals and ordered vehemently, _“¡Prepárate para la batalla! ¡Mañana, vamos a conquistar!_ ”

Maddie’s jaw dropped. “Prepare for battle? _¡¿Estás loco?!_ This is _exactly_ what that crazy bitch wants! She attacked you for a reason, and even though she didn’t kill you, she still knew it would be the only thing needed to get this battle started. She’s drawing you toward her for a reason—your arrogance will prove the death of you and your soldiers. You’ve underestimated her, as she knew you would, and now look where that got you. She exploited you right in your own fortress.”

Reyes pointed vindictively at Maddie and roared, “I WILL NOT BE MADE A FOOL—”

“She already _did_ that!” she countered. “She’s got you right where she wants you.”

“I WILL INVADE HER FORTRESS AND SLAUGHTER HER MYSELF! MY ARMY WILL SWEEP THROUGH TORQUEMADA LIKE THE PLAGUE! NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON WILL BE LEFT ALIVE, NO BRICK LEFT STANDING! NOT ONE PERSON WILL _EVER_ DOUBT ME AGAIN AFTER I **_OBLITERATE_** HER!!” Again, he looked to his generals and ordered, _“¡PREPÁRATE PARA LA BATALLA!”_

The men nodded in affirmation and chorused, “ _Sí, señor Presidente_.”

Maddie glared at Reyes and spat, “ _Usted es un tonto_.” With that, she spun on her heel and stormed out of building, shoving the door open aggressively and leaving Jack to stand awkwardly behind for a split second before jogging after her.

As he caught up to her, he grabbed her by the arm and turned her around to face him. “Are you insane?! What the hell’s gotten into you?”

“I told that _bastardo_ that he is a fool,” she rectified. “And he is indeed a fool for attacking her without any preparation.” She wrenched her arm out of his grasp before turning back around and stomping away back to their room.

“Preparation?” Jack exclaimed, falling into step beside her. “Maddie, you heard Reyes say to his men to get ready for war. What kind of preparation are you thinkin’?”

She abruptly turned around, and with a fiery determination in her eyes, said, “If Reyes won’t properly find out what’s awaiting him tomorrow, then I will.”

Jack blinked. “What are you gettin’ at here?”

She smiled mischievously up at him and beckoned him to follow her back to their room. “First, darlin’, we’re gonna get some much-needed rest. Then, at nightfall, I’ll show you.”

 

*             *             *

 

“This is insane, Maddie,” Jack shouted over the thunder of hooves as he and his wife rode alongside each other down the road leading away from El Presidio at a fast canter. “We’re gonna get ourselves killed. You know that, right?”

“Reyes is a fool for not scouting ahead,” she argued back. “He’s gonna lead his entire army to certain death if he thinks he can just march up to Torquemada without planning ahead. He may have the numbers to defeat _La Phantasma_ , but she has the tactical advantage. She’ll see him coming long before he even reaches her.”

“Which is why I think this is suicide, Maddie! How the hell do you think we’re gonna be able to sneak up to her without being seen? We almost didn’t get out back there without all the bribing you somehow pulled off, so how are we gonna pull _this_ off?”

“Just follow me.”

 Under a dark, moonless night sky, the bounty hunters rode away from El Presidio and down to Casa Madrugada. As swiftly as they could, they darted around the town—it was still under Reyes’ control and guarded by a dozen soldiers, and they felt it necessary to not let their presence be known should the soldiers feel the need to alert the President of their disappearance. They headed northeast after they rode a safe distance away from Casa Madrugada, then rode on past Mesa de Sol. After crossing the train tracks, they continued on alongside the canyon wall.

Jack urged Sundance to keep pace with Gypsy, even though he had beckoned his horse to gallop the entire time. He knew the stallion was tired, but it couldn’t be helped as he and Maddie rode alongside the canyon; they needed to get there as fast and as quietly as they could. He looked ahead at their destination. Sure enough, Torquemada loomed off in the distance like an unconquerable giant. Swallowing down his trepidation, Jack nudged the palomino’s sweat-soaked sides with his spurs.

As the canyon wall curved south, Maddie pulled her rocky mountain mare to a stop. Jack pulled up Sundance beside her and looked to her for guidance. She beckoned him to follow before dismounting and ground-tying her exhausted horse to the thick brush that served as cover for their mounts. Jack did the same, and once his horse was tied, he followed her closely as she continued on foot following the curve of the wall. She had drawn her semi-automatic pistol for safe-keeping; he drew his high-powered pistol as well.

As the ground dropped off into a ravine, Maddie stopped at the edge of the wall before it curved back around and knelt down low. Jack pressed his left shoulder against the wall and knelt behind his wife, panting and shaking with adrenaline.

Before them, Torquemada sat proudly atop the cliff overlooking all of Mexico. Below them, the ravine curved upwards, turning east towards the fortress and supplying the only entrance to it. Littering the ground leading up to the fortress stood what looked like the ruins of a long-forgotten settlement—the bare stones and foundations of the buildings jutted out like fossils from the earth. Behind these rocky ruins, at least thirty of _La Phantasma’s_ men were stationed, their firearms strapped to their sides and their horses hitched nearby. It was nigh impossible to sneak past so many men without being detected; it was a suicide mission to dare try.

Silently, Maddie took out her binoculars from her satchel and surveyed the area. With no binoculars to speak of, Jack reached behind him and slung his Carcano rifle over his shoulder and looked through the scope. He frowned as he laid eyes on the rest of _La Phantasma’s_ men. The army had been stationed all along the road leading up to the fortress, becoming more and more impenetrable as the number of soldiers multiplied. The fortress itself was littered with well-armed soldiers, some stationed beside machine guns, others by cannons.

At the very top of the fortress, _La Phantasma_ stood looking out at the land she had conquered. Her black robes and her long dark hair swayed in the breeze, looking like a proud banner. Her painted face looked as fearsome as ever. Without thinking, Jack slid his index finger through the trigger guard and held it ready, hugging the trigger slightly. It twitched with warmongering anticipation.

“Jack, what are you doing?!” Maddie whispered harshly, finally noticing what he was up to. “Don’t shoot! We’re here to scout, not get ourselves killed. Put the gun down!”

“She’s in my sights. I can take her out.”

“Jack, we’re out of range.”

“Bullshit, Maddie! She’s _well_ within range; I can kill her and be done with it!”

“Jack,” she said, putting a hand on his shoulder, “if you shoot her, we’ll be shot. All those men hiding behind those rocks and ruins will know _exactly_ where we are and kill us.” She put pressure on his shoulder, urging that he lower his firearm.

He continued to stare through the scope at the woman responsible for so much wanton death and destruction. It would be all too easy to pull the trigger and kill the _anarquista_ right then and there, and there’d be no war to worry about, no more death brought to the innocent people, no more despair, and he and Maddie would be able to collect the bounty and be on their way home; he and Maddie could be home within a few days, living comfortably and perhaps discussing certain future prospects. Or he could hold back and ride safely back to El Presidio with the others and undoubtedly go to war and risk the lives of himself and his wife, fighting alongside Reyes and his army and probably die alongside them. He bit his lip hard in frustration; his hands trembled as he struggled to decide.

“Jack…”

He held _La Phantasma_ in his sights a moment longer before he sighed greatly and lowered his rifle. “Goddamn it,” he growled. Regrettably, he slung his rifle back over his shoulder.

Maddie’s grip on his shoulder waned to a gentle squeeze. “We’ll kill her, Jack. We will. Just not tonight.” She tugged at the sleeve of his duster and beckoned him to follow her back around the canyon wall towards their hidden horses. “Come on, darlin’. Let’s live to fight another day.”

He hesitated another second longer before he turned and followed.


	12. La Masacre

 By the time Maddie and Jack got back to El Presidio, it was nearly dawn. Their horses were dripping with sweat and their sides heaved with exertion as they pulled their mounts to a stop before the perimeter fence. The soldiers stationed there held up their hands and beckoned them to come no further.

  _“_ _¡Detener!”_ one of the men shouted. _“¿Dónde estabas tú? ¿Dónde ir?”_ He glared up at them with suspicion.

 _“¡Ellos han traicionado a nosotros!”_ the other soldier proclaimed and went for his pistol. _“¡_ _Ellos son espías de la Phantasma!”_

 _“¡No somos espías!”_ Maddie proclaimed _. “Venimos con información acerca de La Phantasma. Estábamos espiando a ella. Ahora, bajar su arma. Tenemos que ver al Presidente.”_

The soldiers exchanged dubious looks. _“¿Cómo podemos confiar en usted?”_ the first one asked.

 Maddie sighed with irritation. _“¡Paso de lado, idiota! Este es un asunto del Presidente.”_

After another moment of deliberation, the soldiers stepped aside. “ _Muy bien_ ,” the first soldier said. He motioned them to ride forward through the make-shift gate and onto the main gates of El Presidio. “ _Proceder_.”

“ _Gracias_ ,” Maddie said, inclining her head in appreciation. She nudged Gypsy’s sweat-soaked sides; her tired mount walked forward. Jack urged Sundance to follow as the gates opened. Once inside, they unsaddled their horses, fed and watered them, then went in search of the President.

He found them before they were not even ten feet away from their horses. The bounty hunters flinched and halted the second they laid eyes on Reyes, who was marching straight towards them with his generals following right at his heels like a pack of obedient dogs. The outrage that enveloped the President seeped into Jack and Maddie as he approached.

 _“¡TRAIDORES! ¡ESPÍAS!”_ Reyes roared as he stopped in front of them. Since his injured arm was held in a sling, he pointed harshly at the two with the other, his finger inches from their faces, as he spat, “HOW _DARE_ YOU LEAVE THIS FORTRESS WITHOUT _MY_ _PERMISSION!_ YOU MET WITH _LA PHANTASMA_ , _DIDN’T YOU?!_ ” Abreast of him, his generals rested their hands on the butts of their firearms, ready to shoot if need be.

Maddie was the first to retaliate. Before Jack could hold her back, she boldly stepped forward and shouted, “ _¡No somos traidores o espías!_ We are bounty hunters! We’re just doing our jobs!”

“You left without my permission! You’re conspiring against me!”

“Like hell we are!” Maddie retorted. “We’ve been spying on _La Phantasma_ , not you, you idiot! We left last night without your permission because we knew you wouldn’t let us go anyways, and we knew you wouldn’t go spying on her yourself! You’re marching into this battle unprepared! It doesn’t matter how many men you have over her; you need to go into a fight with a _plan_ , Reyes, not just your ego!”

 _“¡SILENCIO!”_ he screamed. “I AM THE PRESIDENT, AND I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I’M DOING! I WILL ATTACK HER TOMORROW WITH ALL THE FORCE OF MY ARMY, AND I WILL _DESTROY_ HER!” He pointed once more at her and her husband and added, “AND YOU WILL FIGHT ALONGSIDE MY ARMY!”

Livid, Jack stepped forward and glared at the President with a countenance that could make a rattlesnake quiver with fear. “We’re _not_ a part of your army, Reyes,” he boldly declared, looking him firmly in the eyes. “Like my wife said, we are bounty hunters, and we’ll do as we damn well please. So go ahead and storm that place; kill as many soldiers as you want, yours and _La Phantasma’s_ alike.” He pointed harshly at him and spat, “All that blood is on _your_ hands.” He gestured back to Maddie and himself. “ _We_ will not be a part of that massacre. We have one job, and that’s to stop _La Phantasma_ by any means necessary. _¿Comprende, amigo?_ ”

Reyes mouth twitched and contorted into a hideous scowl. He shoved his face into Jack’s and hissed, “So long as you’re in _my_ country, you will be under _my_ orders and do as I say. **_I_** am the _President_!”

Maddie began to shake with outrage; she knew there was no reasoning with such an egotistic man. Throwing Reyes a nasty glare, she turned on her heel and stormed off. Jack followed her after lingering for a second to glare back at the President.

The second they retired to their room, Maddie began to pace furiously in front of the bed. Jack stood by the door, glaring down at the floor in silent contemplation. His attention was caught by his wife’s sudden rant.

“That stupid fucker doesn’t know what he’s up against! He’s so hell-bent on saving his pride and ego that he fails to realize just how large the collateral damage will be! HE’S AN IDIOT!” Not knowing what else to do with herself and her rage, she continued to pace back and forth. “ _Es imposible razonar con un tonto_ ,” she growled to herself. “ _¿Cómo puede un hombre ser tan estúpido? ¡Que el hombre y su maldito orgullo!_ ”

“Um…Maddie?”

She paced faster and grumbled on in furious Spanish. To Jack, it all sounded like a mad jumble of words, words he couldn’t and didn’t want to understand.

“Darlin’?”

Her cursing rose in pitch and speed.

“Maddie!”

She stopped in mid-stride and whirled around. “ _What?!”_

“Are you okay?”

“ _Does it fucking look like I’m okay?!_ I’M PISSED OFF! That stupid prick is leaving us with no choice, Jack! We can’t _not_ be a part of this battle—it’s the only way we’re gonna be able to get to _La Phantasma_! He has _no right_ to claim his power over us!”

Jack approached her with open arms. Gingerly, he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in her fiery brown eyes. “He doesn’t have any power over us, darlin’. Our little stunt we pulled off last night _proves_ that, and that pisses him off. He knows he can’t boss us around—we’re an asset to him, something he can’t afford to lose. It’s all for show; he’s trying to save face in front of his people.”

“That arrogant asshole can go f—”

He cut her off by raising a hand to her mouth and giving her a stern look. “Maddie, please.” He gently cupped her face with both hands, still staring deeply into her eyes. “ _He’s got no control over us_ , you hear me? He may be the President, but we are the _Marstons_. Come tomorrow, we’re settlin’ all of this.”

Maddie calmed slightly at his words and gentle touch. She blinked twice, then asked, “So what are you saying, Jack?”

“I’m sayin’ he can go ahead and think he controls us—hell, we’ll even give him the _satisfaction_ of riding alongside him into battle, but the second we get a chance, we’re chasin’ after the bitch ourselves. To hell with him and his psychotic plans! What matters is that we end this tomorrow, with or without the President’s help.”

She smiled up at him. “Sounds like a plan to me, my love.” She kissed him lovingly. “You’re quite the schemer, aren’t you?”

He smirked. “I do what I can. Now, let’s get some rest. Lord knows we’re gonna need it for tomorrow.”

 

*             *             *

 

Before the grey of dawn caressed the walls of El Presidio, Reyes’ army was scampering around and within the fortress, hastily making last minute preparations. Campfires were doused after an early breakfast; guns were loaded and holstered; horses were brushed and saddled; Gatling guns and cannons were loaded into wagons. A strange silence hovered over the last great stronghold of Mexico—it choked every man, woman, and child, as they all knew it was the misleading hush of peace before the unbridled, bloody rampage of war.

At four o’clock, Jack and Maddie rose groggily out of bed. Without a word, the couple got dressed, ate a quick breakfast, drank their coffee, and prepared for battle. They loaded all their firearms and strapped them to their person; they refilled their bandoliers before shrugging them on over their dusters and tugging on their hats. Silent like the rest of the fortress, they walked out to face the day.

It was a bustling, grey world that greeted them. The citizens of Mexico huddled in the farthest corners of the fortress, trying to not get in the way of the army while the soldiers hurried about making final preparations. Troubled over the hush that fell over the people, Maddie and Jack hurried to their horses. Gypsy and Sundance stood quietly and calmly as their owners hastily saddled them up—even the horses could sense what was about to happen. As the sun slowly peered at the world in the distant horizon, the bounty hunters mounted their horses and rode them out of El Presidio.

The perimeter fence was still erect, to their surprise, and the camp that the army had made around the walls was now empty. The ground was so upturned from all the hoof and boot prints that it made it somewhat difficult for their horses to walk; the army had all but destroyed the grass in their haste to assemble outside the fence. Jack and Maddie rode their horses out of the perimeter and joined the cavalry at the head of the army’s assembly—Reyes had the army set up in a sufficient way, with the cavalry riding up front, then the foot soldiers, and finally the wagons bearing the Gatling guns and ammunition. At the head of the army, Reyes sat atop his proud Andalusian stallion dressed in his finest attire; the adornment of metals shined and sparkled, making him glisten atop his proud dapple-grey charger that pranced valiantly in place.

Jack was the first to break the silence that morning. He scoffed as he glanced over the President and shook his head. “Look at that jackass.”

Maddie followed his gaze and rolled her eyes at the sight of Reyes’ gaudy appearance. “He’s a bit overdressed for battle, don’t you think?” she chortled as she looked back at her husband.

“I don’t know who’s worse: him or his horse. Jesus, does he think he has to stand out _that much_?”

Maddie snorted and sarcastically replied, “Oh, but don’t you know, Jack? He’s the _President_.”

The couple shared a soft laugh as they sat atop their horses and waited for the army to move out.

Within ten minutes, Reyes ordered his army to finally start marching. Reyes lead the army at a fast walk; his steed pranced the entire time, with his rider sitting in the lavishly decorated saddle with his back straight and his chin raised, his metals jingling all the while. Behind him, the cavalry followed. The plodding of horse hooves filled the ears of the bounty hunters as they followed the gaudy President’s lead. They rode towards the back of the cavalry, but even at their position, Reyes’ pretentiousness shown clear and bright—he was a blinding beacon of hubris, despite the fact that his injured arm was in a sling.

By five o’clock, they reached Casa Madrugada, and within half an hour, they crossed the desert that stood between them and Torquemada. Reyes didn’t bother to lead his army as discreetly as possible; instead, he led them right down the road that led to _La Phantasma_. It was only when he was below the imposing fortress that housed the _anarquista_ that Reyes turned and stopped his army before the ridge that overlooked the desert, right in front of Torquemada. To the left of them, the only path that lead up to the fortress curved up and around to Torquemada. By the President’s order, and carried out by his generals, the Gatling guns and cannons were unloaded from the wagons and set up along the ridge, pointing directly up at the fortress. By the time that all was in place, the sun had just begun to peak over the horizon.

A hush fell over the world. With the break of dawn came an impending swell of anxious anticipation. The soldiers shifted their weight from one foot to the other; the horses blew, tossed their heads, and pawed at the ground. Above them, Torquemada loomed, staring them all down and daring them to make the first move.

Accepting the challenge, Reyes made the first move. He spurred his horse forward, only to spin the dapple-grey around to face his army. Like before in El Presidio, he spoke to his people then in uplifting Spanish, shouting so that all could hear as he rode Hidalgo back and forth alongside the front line. He brandished his sword as he spoke, rallying his men and heightening their bravery and conviction. The soldiers stood more erect and proud in response to his speech. As he rode back to his original position, Reyes bellowed, _“¡Ahora luchar conmigo, mi compañeros! ¡Destruyamos este espíritu malign con toda la fuerza de Dios mismo!”_ He spun Hidalgo back around and faced the ravine. Pointing his sword directly at the path leading up to their foe, he proclaimed, _“¡VAYA CON DIOS Y CONQUISTAR!”_

On his signal, Reyes’ second-in-command shouted, _“¡Primer Batallón! ¡Marcha adelante!”_

In synchronized motion, the first battalion of foot soldiers marched forward and began streaming through the ravine. In perfect formation, they advanced with unrelenting resolve…until everything quickly turned to chaos and a frantic fight for survival. Out of nowhere, forty of _La Phantasma’s_ men materialized from above them on both sides of the ravine and opened fire. The battalion didn’t stand much of a chance against the surprise attack, and even though they were able to smite some of the men, they weren’t quick enough to save themselves from the storm of bullets that rained down from above.

Before his first battalion was completely decimated, Reyes ordered a second battalion to charge and overtake the snipers. The Gatling guns were turned and pointed up at the enemy soldiers as well, and with the combined force and firepower, the first of her men were obliterated within a matter of seconds. With the snipers wiped out, the second battalion stormed through the ravine, jumping over and skirting around their fallen comrades as they made their way up to the rocks and ruins of a settlement long since destroyed. Immediately, the men took cover as more enemy soldiers jumped out from behind the jagged stones and foundations of stone and opened fire at them, halting their advancement. For several long minutes, the two opposing forces exchanged gunfire, deafening the ears of any living creature within a ten-mile radius. The cacophony of battle was almost unbearable to Jack and Maddie as the fight raged on: pained screams of men tore through the clouds of gun smoke as they uttered one despairing sound before they fell to the ground; bullets sprayed back and forth from one battalion to the other, cutting through the gun smoke and dust that billowed all around the battle field; incoherent shouts from the soldiers were barely audible amidst the gunfire; Reyes’ Gatling guns spat streams of bullets at _La Phantasma’s_ men. Blood stained the upturned grass and dirt, dotting the battle field with red puddles.

As if to exacerbate his warmongering, the President ordered a third battalion that was twice the size of the first two to charge forward. Like a tidal wave, the men flooded the ravine and overtook what was left of the opposing army. They stormed forward like an impenetrable wall, firing their weapons constantly and quickly thinning out the _asesina’s_ ranks. Hundreds of bodies littered the ground; men from both sides of the battle stained the earth with what had now grown into a river of blood. As the last of opposing men fell, Reyes’ army surged onward through the ruins and rocks towards Torquemada.

Their victory was short-lived as Gatling guns appeared both at the base and at the top of Torquemada. A startling number of Reyes’ men were instantly and mercilessly mowed down by the hail of bullets. Immediately, Reyes shouted a command at the men operating his Gatling guns and cannons; in the next instant, his heavy artillery was turned and pointed up at the fortress. The ground and the air quaked from the explosive, raw power as the cannons and machine guns fired off. The sound of the cannon balls crashing into the sides of the fortress and the screams of the opposing Gatling gun operators was deafening. Jagged holes quickly appeared all across Torquemada, exposing its insides to Reyes and his cavalry down below. The fortress bled profusely as the soldiers from within its monstrous belly spilled out in a frantic dash to escape certain death. With the aid of the cannons and machine guns, the rest of Reyes’ men charged forward, firing wildly at what was left of _La Phantasma’s_ army. Victory was in sight, and as the fortress was quickly becoming decimated, Reyes finally ordered the cavalry to charge in and finish the fight.

Abraham spurred his dapple-grey charger; the magnificent stallion reared up before bolting forward, leading the charge. The cavalry followed their leader into battle; the thunder of hoof beats roared. Maddie and Jack urged their horses to follow; Gypsy and Sundance loped alongside their fellow equines. The cavalry crossed the plains in no time and charged through the body-littered, blood-soaked ravine and up the path leading to the rocks and remains of the settlements. Torquemada lay crippled and broken before them with soldiers from both armies slaying each other like mad men. Blood quickly soaked the horses’ legs, bellies, and chests as they stumbled and trampled over the bodies of the fallen—several horses tripped and fell, causing their riders to fly out of the saddle and add to the body count as they were trampled by the cavalry.

Reyes and his cavalry were nearing Torquemada when disaster struck. Out of nowhere, the rest of _La Phantasma’s_ army materialized from behind the cavalry. They stormed up the ravine, chasing after them on horseback. Reyes and his men were unaware of them as they neared the dilapidated fortress; it was only when her cavalry began shooting his men down from behind did he turn in the saddle and look over his shoulder.

Immediately, he halted his mount. The dapple-grey tossed his head at the sudden jerk of his bit and slid to a stop before whirling back around. The rest of Reyes’ men quickly stopped and turned their horses as well at the sight of their leader abruptly stopping the attack. Reyes looked over both his shoulders at his men and shouted, _“¡Reformar la línea! ¡Reunión para mí, mis compañeros! ¡Reformar la línea!”_ Once his men were in position and had formed a line behind him, he turned back in the saddle and faced the enemy.

 _La Phantasma’s_ cavalry was quickly shortening the distance between them—there was no escaping their advancement as they swiftly rode toward their opposing cavalry. To Jack and Maddie’s surprise, the _asesina_ herself was nowhere to be seen—she wasn’t even leading the charge.

“Where the hell is she?!” Jack shouted over the cacophony of war that screamed all around them.

Maddie opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off by Reyes as he pointed his sword at the charging cavalry and roared, _“¡ATACAR!”_

The cavalry charged forward with Reyes leading them; Maddie and Jack lingered behind and swiveled their heads around as they searched for their target. She was nowhere to be seen. Gypsy and Sundance tossed their heads and pranced in place beneath them, yearning to gallop after the other horses and join the fight. With no other choice, the bounty hunters let their horses leap forward and sprint after the cavalry. As they neared their comrades, the two cavalries converged in a clash of swords, firearms, horses, and men. The rage of war was all that could be heard for miles around as the cavalries combined: firearms sounded off, bullets pierced the hides of their chosen targets, screams of men and horse alike cut through the air as they fell to their deaths, horses whinnied and shrieked, the thunder of hoof beats shook the ground and reverberated the air, the clanging of swords rang out, the incoherent shouts and war cries of men mixed in with symphony of battle. Many men and equines were slain; more blood was spilt and drowned the ground.

It was all a blur of blood and violence for Jack and Maddie. All around them, human and horse scrambled about and fought each other in a crazed, warmongering frenzy. They didn’t have to look very far to find an opposing target— _La Phantasma’s_ men were everywhere, intermixed with Reyes’ men and swarming all around them like insane insects. Bullet by bullet, man by man, the bounty hunters took down their enemy, all the while trying to keep an eye out for their main target.

Amidst the cries of men and horses and the blasts of gunfire, Jack glanced over at his wife and shouted, “Do you see her anywhere?”

Maddie shook her head and, pausing to terminate the life of yet another enemy soldier, she yelled back, “No. It’s like she just fuckin’ disappeared!”

Jack gritted his teeth and snarled with frustration, partly because they had yet to find the main reason they were a part of this battle for, and that his pistol was out of bullets. As he started to reload, he was bombarded by two men, and were it not for Sundance’s height and Maddie’s quick draw and keen eye, he would’ve been pulled off his horse. Maddie quickly dispatched the men and reined Gypsy closer to him.

“Watch your back, damn it!”

“I am! You do the same!”

“Quick, reload! I’ll cover you!”

He did as he was told as fast as he could, and by the time the magazine was full, Maddie had begun to run low on ammunition as well. They took turns covering each other whenever they’d run out of ammunition; they took great care in keeping watch over the other, even in all the chaos of war.

It was almost all for naught as they fought on—both they and their horses were becoming exhausted, and _La_ _Phantasma_ was nowhere to be seen…

Until…

Across the battlefield, Maddie spotted her target at last.

Through the cloud of dust and gun smoke, _La Phantasma_ appeared like an apparition, her black robes billowing around her, and her ghostly-white stallion _Muerte_ floating across the ground as he galloped. The _anarquista_ swiveled her painted head to and fro; her long dark hair fanned out as she assessed how well her army were fairing against the President’s while the battle raged around her. Her face grimaced; whether it was out of horror or euphoria Maddie could not tell.

 _“¡PHANTASMA!”_ Maddie roared and reined Gypsy around. She kicked her mare into a gallop, put the reins in her mouth, and reached for both pistols.

The woman’s attention snapped right to her; her eyes narrowed to slits of rage.

Simultaneously, the women drew their firearms.

Nearby, Jack paused in his relentless pursuit of killing all who opposed him. He stopped Sundance as he turned in the saddle and pointed his pistol at a charging soldier. After shooting the man in the head, he paused to reload his pistol and looked back over his shoulder to shout at Maddie to cover for him, but he gasped and began to panic. He spun Sundance around in a circle as he searched for his wife.

“MADDIE!” he roared, but there was no answer.

It was only when he looked over at the ruins of Torquemada did he spot her riding Gypsy at a full gallop away from him towards the destroyed fortress. On the long, narrow stretch of path leading to it, he gasped as he spotted _La Phantasma_ spurring _Muerte_ forward with her pistol pointed at his wife.

Out of all the other gun shots fired around him, only three pierced through the air and caused his heart to ice over in dread. In horror, he watched his wife fall off Gypsy and tumble to the ground. _La Phantasma_ leaned forward in the saddle, clutching her left shoulder and stomach. With little concern over Maddie’s motionless body, she reined her horse around.

Adrenaline, horror, and rage blinded Jack. He jammed the full clips into the butt of his pistol, reined Sundance around, and spurred the palomino into a wild gallop towards _La Phantasma_ , screaming, “YOU BITCH!! **I’LL KILL YOU!!!** ”

 _La Phantasma_ must’ve somehow heard him: she spun _Muerte_ back around and met gazes with him before spurring her white stallion into a gallop, charging straight at the man who dared to challenge her. She raised her pistol and aimed for his chest. Teeth bared, rage exploding, Jack aimed his sights on her as well and started firing.

The first bullet missed her head by mere inches; the second struck her in the stomach, almost causing her to topple sideways off the saddle had she not have grabbed the saddle horn; the third tore through her right shoulder, finally throwing her off her mount and causing her to tumble to the ground. No longer under her control, _Muerte_ veered away and continued galloping blindly on, streaking through the battle like a mad spirit.

Jack pulled Sundance to a stop as he neared the woman who had finally stopped rolling. With his gun still aimed at her, he emptied the rest of his ammunition into her body. A puddle of blood quickly seeped out of _La Phantasma_. With his revenge exacted, he hastily dismounted Sundance and stumbled over to where Maddie lay still and silent.

It wasn’t until he stood over her that Jack realized he too had been shot. Panting, he finally felt the searing pain, now that his vengeance was fulfilled and the adrenaline subsided. His legs buckled underneath him, and he fell forward, catching himself at the last instant before his face struck the dirt. Gasping from exertion and excruciation, he looked down at himself and saw blood trickling out of his right shoulder and left bicep. He didn’t care that he was hurt; all that mattered was his wife, who lay lifeless beside him.

“M-Maddie?” he croaked, his throat tightening painfully. His hand trembled as he reached over and grabbed her gently by the shoulder. Though it was excruciating now to move, he rolled her over, dreading what he would see.

Her eyes were closed. She didn’t appear to be breathing, and if she was, he really couldn’t tell. Blood trickled out of a single bullet wound—it was on the left side of her chest.

“No,” Jack uttered. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!” The tears spilled freely then as he shook her, desperately trying to wake her up. Over and over, he said her name, yet she didn’t wake. When his attempts appeared futile, his voice rose in pitch and volume, until he was nearly screaming and relentlessly shaking her. His vision became blurry from the waterfall of tears. Finally, when he knew all hope had been lost, Jack hastily gathered her in his arms and cradled her to his chest, weeping heavily into her long dark hair.

The battle raged on around them, but to Jack, the fight had been lost.


	13. Home

The train slithered across Mexico’s terrain like a speedy black viper, coughing up clouds of smoke and leaving a trail in the sky in its wake. The land had quickly transformed from barren desert and mesas to grasslands and woodlands as the locomotive crossed Butter Bridge and entered America. Jack sat silently in his seat and stared out the window. His mind was a blank slate; he had experienced so much in such a small amount of time…

 _La Phantasma_ had finally been defeated. It took several days to bury their fallen brethren, but once that arduous task was complete, Reyes and what remained of his army helped the citizens of Mexico return to their abandoned homes and begin the arduous task of rebuilding their houses and towns. After they repaired what was damaged during _La Phantasma’s_ reign of terror, Reyes and his army returned to Escalera and celebrated. It was all that Jack could do to stand being inside Reyes’ palace; he was in a constant state of disgust and anger while he was surrounded by such lavish, gaudy decoration. When he could stomach it no longer, he showed himself to the door.

Reyes of course rushed after him and pleaded obsequiously, “ _Señor_ Marston, where are you going?”

“Home,” Jack growled back without so much as a backward glance. He grasped the door handle firmly and was about to yank it open when Reyes grabbed his arm and turned him around.

“Why leave so early when the party’s just started? I have the finest tequila in all of Mexico, and my servants will cook you the best home-made Mexican meal you’ve ever tasted! _Mi casa es su casa, mi amigo_. I have plenty of spare bedrooms for you and—”

Jack interrupted him with a cold stare and a terse reply. “With all due respect, Reyes, I think I’ve overstayed my welcome here in Mexico. My job is done; you’ve given me the eight-thousand bucks for killing that crazy bitch. Now all I wanna do is get back to my ranch and be done with all this.”

“ _Perdóname_ , _señor_ , but I **must** insist you stay, at least for tonight. Surely you must be tired after all that we’ve been through! _¡Ven conmigo, mi amigo!_ I will have my servants prepare a meal and open the bottles of some of the finest drink to have ever grace your lips! We shall have a celebration fit for kings such as you and I! I can give you all the food and drink and the finest clothes you so richly deserve, Jack Marston. Just say yes, and it shall be done.”

His hand never left the door knob as he turned and faced Abraham. The contempt he felt for the man who was throwing himself and his riches upon him was enough to make his stomach churn—had he partaken in the meal as Reyes offered, Jack would’ve vomited on the man’s shiny black boots. He didn’t bother to sound sincere as he grunted back, “As I’ve said before, mister, I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

And with that, he walked out the door with the reward money slung over his shoulder.

Jack was snapped back to the present as the train car he rode in crossed Butter Bridge; he sucked in air through clenched teeth and tried to breathe through the flare of pain from his battle wounds. Even though he had been properly overseen by Reyes’ doctors, he was still in considerable pain. “Son of a bitch,” he hissed as he clutched at his injuries.

“Jack?” came a soft voice beside him. “You okay?”

He blinked and looked to his right at his wife, who had apparently awoken and was struggling to sit up. Concern for her well-being overshadowed his pain as he turned and gingerly helped her get into a more comfortable sitting position. “Take it easy, darlin’,” he murmured. “Just rest. You’re in worse shape than I am.”

Maddie snorted, but with her sardonic response came an agonized countenance. She leaned her head back against the seat and panted, trying to withstand the pain as best she could. “I’ve been through worse, Jack,” she breathed, her voice strained with excruciation. “This is nothing.”

“Like hell, Maddie. You almost died.”

She didn’t respond as she closed her eyes and did her best to relax. Her left arm was held in a sling, restricting her movement and forcing her to keep it in place. Her breathing came in pained, short pants; her brow was constantly creased into a grimace.

Jack caressed his wife’s cheek with a gentle hand. He felt both sorry for her and was so incredibly relieved that she was somehow miraculously alive— _La Phantasma’s_ bullet struck inches away from her heart, and she had bled profusely for a long while as the battle subsided and Reyes’s army won. It was several minutes more before a doctor came rushing up to them and did what he could at that time and place. Once he had stopped the bleeding, the doctor led Jack back to the safety of his tent, which was pitched just off the battlefield. Jack carried Maddie the whole way there, despite being shot and bleeding severely. For what seemed like hours, the doctor worked on Maddie’s seemingly lifeless body. All the while, Jack sat outside the tent in a teary-eyed mess, doing his best to regain his composure as he hoped and prayed to whatever god there was to spare her and bring her back to him. When at last the doctor was done and walked outside to fetch him, Jack rushed to Maddie’s side and knelt there until sunrise. Not once did he leave her side or let go of her hand; not once did he take his eyes off her. It had taken her several days to recover, and when she felt she was strong enough—despite Jack’s pleading, of course—she rose from her cot and asked for her horse to be fetched. Jack did her bidding, and fetched his horse as well, and together, they slowly rode to the nearest town, where they caught up with the train that was hauling the people of Mexico back to their homes.

“Can you promise me somethin’?” Jack asked suddenly.

“What is it, love?”

“Will you finally retire from bounty hunting?”

Her eyes opened instantly, and she turned her head to peer deep into his eyes. “What makes you say that?”

“You were so close to dying, Maddie…” His eyes welled with tears as he continued, “I almost lost you, darlin’. I can’t…,” he paused to try to swallow down the sob that threatened to leap out of his throat, “…I can’t live without you, sweetheart. So please… ** _please_** say you’ll quit being a bounty hunter.”

His desperate, pleading stare held her spellbound. She was speechless for a long moment, but after she got over the shock of his raw emotion, she sighed and nodded in affirmation. “Yes, Jack. I think it’s time I got done with that.”

His shoulders sagged visibly as he sighed heavily with relief and smiled at her. “Thank you, Maddie.” He took her hand in his and gave it a grateful squeeze.

She nodded back in response and closed her eyes once more. After a moment of silence passed between them, she asked, “So what now?”

He looked back at her. “Hmm?”

“What happens now, now that this is all over and we’re going home?”

 “Well…. I was thinkin’ we relax for a bit and take some time off. We both need to rest and heal up after that hell of a battle.”

“And then what? Do we still go on with our same-old lives, just driving the cattle out to pasture and breaking horses until the end of our days?”

He blinked, not comprehending. “What are you gettin’ at, darlin’? I thought you wanted that for us.”

She did her best to turn in her seat without upsetting her wound further. “I do, Jack, I do, but what I’m saying is, what are _we_ gonna do? Are we gonna settle down and all that?”

He blinked again and waited for her to continue.

“Are we gonna… well, _you know_ …”

 He scoffed, caught off-guard by her out-of-nowhere proposal. “Are you sayin’ you want _kids_? Maddie, that’s only if you want that to happen.”

“I’m askin’ _you_ , Jack.” She looked him sincerely in the eyes. “Do _you_ want that?”

 He held her gaze a moment longer before glancing down at the floor. He was silent for a time as he contemplated on how to answer one of the biggest questions of his life. The thought of him holding a child— _his_ child—scared him half to death; he was in no way whatsoever prepared for that. But then he recalled Maddie dancing with the little girl at El Presidio and how joyful she appeared. He grinned as he recalled how beautiful she looked holding the girl in her arms and laughing along with her. He remembered the emotion that swelled within him as he watched her and the child, the deep paternal yearning he had never before experienced up until that point. With that recollection came blinding fear and doubt. _Would I be a good father?_ he thought to himself. He frowned as he remembered his own father—would he turn out to be just like him? His doubt morphed into sadness as he thought, _Ma and Pa would never get to meet my son or daughter; they’d never get to know their grandparents…_

His silence and confounded expression was enough for Maddie to understand. She smirked and took both his hands into hers. As he looked back at her, she said, “We’ll see what the future brings, my love. For now, let’s just concentrate on getting home.”

Jack grinned at her, grateful to have been relieved of such sudden, deep contemplation. However, as his wife drifted off to sleep again, he stared out the window and sat wondering whether or not he’d want to be a father and just what kind of a father he’d be.

His thoughts kept him awake the entire trip back home—the train passed MacFarlane’s Ranch and carried them up north through the Pacific Union railroad camp. When the train stopped at Manzanita Post, he awoke his wife and helped her off the train before fetching their horses off of one of the livestock cars. He tethered them to the hitching post beside the train station and saddled them up, and just as the train bellowed a shrill call and slowly left Manzanita Post, he had finished saddling Maddie’s horse. It didn’t take him long to saddle up Sundance, and after helping Maddie up onto Gypsy’s back, he mounted his horse, and together, they rode away at a slow walk towards home.

The plodding of their horses’ hooves was the only sound between them as the Marstons rode the last stretch towards home. Jack hadn’t stopped thinking about Maddie’s question, even as he was saddling the horses, and now as he and his wife rode home in silence, it was tearing him apart inside. Abruptly, he turned in the saddle and looked at his wife.

 “Do you think I’d be a good father?”

The sudden break in silence and the random question made her flinch. In response to her rider’s sudden jump, Gypsy spooked slightly and side-stepped. Maddie reined her back over and urged her onwards abreast of Sundance. She met Jack’s gaze as they continued down the road.

“Where the hell is this coming from, Jack?”

“Do you think I’d be a good father?” he repeated, almost pleadingly this time. He searched Maddie’s eyes fiercely, desperate to know the truth.

Maddie was speechless for a couple seconds. Blinking in rapid succession, she said, “I’m sure you would be.”

“Do you _honestly_ think so? ‘Cause I’m thinkin’ the way I was raised doesn’t make me out to be a good father, much less a good person.”

 She threw him a chastising look. “Oh, don’t be ridiculous, honey. Your past is in the past—how you were raised shouldn’t matter. Just so long as you’re living in the now and are paying attention to what’s currently happening, I think you’ll be just fine.”

He frowned as he faced forward and looked over Sundance’s ears.

“And besides, I think your parents did well with you. You turned out just fine.”

“Like hell, Maddie,” he scoffed as he looked back at her. “I was raised by an outlaw and a workin’ girl. I grew up in a gang. _And_ I became an outlaw, just like my pa, five years ago, or do you not remember how we met?” He scoffed and gestured hopelessly. “Fuck, what am I supposed to say to our kid when they ask how we met? What in God’s name am I gonna tell them?”

Maddie merely frowned and shook her head at him. “You’re over-reacting, Jack.”

“‘Over-reacting’?!” he exclaimed. “If anything, I’m _under_ -reacting. Just who do you think you’re talkin’ to here? Don’t you realize that, if we do have kids, and God forbid if—no, _when_ —they figure out their lineage, what are they gonna think about me, about us?”

“Will you just stop, Jack? You’re makin’ us out like we’re the most terrible people on the earth. _It’s not that bad, honey._ No one’s family is perfect—just look at my family, for Christ’s sake. How do you think I feel about my lineage?” She sighed and shook her head. “As I’ve said before, your past is in the past, and you shouldn’t be lookin’ back at it and worryin’ about it. Who you were back then and who you are now are two entirely different people. Don’t fuss about shit you can’t change, Jack. And relax—it’s not like I’m pressuring you into anything. What I said back there on that train doesn’t mean anything’s set in stone. I was just askin’ what your thoughts were on the matter.”

Jack sighed and bowed his head. “Hell, I don’t know what I’m thinkin’, Maddie.”

“Well, I can tell ya right now you’re over-thinkin’ about it all, Jack. Just forget about what I said, at least for the time being. We’ll cross that bridge when— _if_ —we get to it.”

Their conversation stalled and slipped into silence for a time. When it was broken, it was Maddie who spoke up.

“Do you think I’d be a good mother?”

Jack guffawed and pointed over at her. “Now look who’s over-thinkin’!” He slapped his thigh and laughed.

Maddie glared over at him. “I’m serious, Jack.”

After he overcame his fit of laughter, Jack shrugged and replied, “In all honesty, I think you’d be a _great_ mother. If you’re anything like your mama was, I’m sure you’d be just as good as her. Hell, look how you turned out—she did a wonderful job raising you.”

Maddie looked down at Gypsy’s flowing flaxen mane and smirked. “I suppose so, Jack.”

“And I know for a fact if we did have a kid, they’d be just as stubborn and hot-headed as you.”

She laughed at this and replied, “Says the man who’s just as bad, if not worse, than his wife. You’re more hot-headed than a pissed-off mule on a summer day.”

Jack bowed his head in defeat and laughed, “Touché, Maddie.”

By that time, they had reached the north side of their ranch; they stopped their horses before the gate, and after Jack opened it, Maddie rode through, leading his horse. Once they were through, Jack closed the gate behind him and mounted back up.

Their ranch looked just as it was the day they left: the house looked clean and well-kept, as well as the barn and the fence; the herd of cattle grazed peacefully on their land, just off to the northern corner, with the two paint horses Féileacán and Cloud grazing alongside the cows. The second they were on the ranch, Gypsy and Sundance belted out loud whinnies, and the paints came running. All four horses whickered and nuzzled each other in happy greeting while the cattle paused in their grazing to look up and stare. Two seconds later, their Border Collie Django ran up to them, barking happily and wagging his tail. As the Marstons rode up to the barn and the hitching posts, a familiar voice hollered to them.

“I’s wond’rin’ when you’s gon’ show up!”

Eli Jones came walking up to them with a wide smile on his face and a pitchfork in hand. “It’s ‘bout damn time ya’ll’s showed back up. Me ‘n’ tha boys was just reckonin’ when you two would get back.” He turned and shouted over his shoulder at the barn, “Mahtin! Johnny! Billy! Gitcha asses out here! They’s back!”

The rest of Bonnie MacFarlane’s ranch hands spilled out from the barn and walked up to Jack and Maddie as they dismounted their tired horses. Jack was quick to dismount Sundance so he could rush over and help his wife off Gypsy, and once they were finally off their horses. The second they turned around, Eli, Martin, Johnny, and Bill circled them and welcomed them home with handshakes and hugs.

Jack held out a hand to Eli and said, “I’m mighty thankful, Eli. Looks like you and the boys kept his place up pretty well while we were gone.”

The Negro waved his hand before he took Jack’s and shook it. “Ah, it’s tha least I can do fo’ ya, Mistuh Mawston. Ya’ll are like fam’ly.” He was quick to dismiss the wad of hundred dollar bills that Jack took out of the reward money bag and held out to him. “Keep ya money, Jack,” he said with a humble grin. “There’s no need fo’ that, mah friend.”

Jack shook his head and persisted, “I insist, Eli. Split this between you, Martin, Johnny, Billy, and Bonnie, of course. It’s the least I can do for you guys since you did your jobs well. Besides, we’re not hurtin’ for money, since we got paid by the President of Mexico himself.” He opened the bag wider and showed the massive pile of money to Eli and his comrades.

The ranch hands’ eyes all bulged. “Jesus, Mary, ‘n’ Joseph!” Eli proclaimed. “Ya’ll gon’ be swimmin’ in that fo’ a while.”

“Yeah, that ain’t no joke,” Johnny scoffed. Beside him, Billy snorted.

“You got that from the President?” Martin asked, his eyes widening further.

Jack and Maddie nodded.

“Good God.”

“Like I said, boys, they’s gon’ be swimmin’ in it,” Eli repeated.

Jack chortled and replied, “Which is why you should take this.” He once again held out the roll of money to him.

“Please take the money, all of you,” Maddie added. “We won’t be needing this anyways. Like you said, we’re swimming in it, so it’s no longer an issue.”

The Negro and his men considered the money for a short while. “Well, if I’s gon’ take the money ‘n’ split it, the least we could do is help ya out a lil’ while longah.”

Jack shook his head. “That’s not necessary—”

Eli held up a hand politely. “Nah, Mistuh Mawston. It’s mah turn tah insist, boy. Ya’ll just got home from a long ride.” He gestured behind them at the house with a nod. “Ya’d best go ‘n’ freshen up now, ya hear me? We’ll take care of ya hosses for ya.”

Jack smiled and bowed his head in appreciation. “Alright, then. Thank you.”

Hand in hand, the Marstons shuffled over to the house and up the steps onto the porch. They paused to look back over their shoulders to see Eli and his boys unsaddling their horses.

“Ya know, I’m kinda glad Eli was so persistent,” Jack scoffed. “I don’t know ‘bout you, but I’m dead tired.”

Maddie snorted and nodded in agreement. “I sure as hell am.”

They found their house unsullied and organized, better than how they’d left it, which awed the couple and gave them more relief. To know that they didn’t have to clean anything but themselves was an incredible relief. At last, they were able to relax—they took their sweet time undressing, bathing, and changing into clean clothes, a luxury that they hadn’t had in what felt like months. They helped change each other’s bandages, as their wounds were still very fresh and in need of great care. By the time they had finished up and stepped back outside, the sun had begun to lower itself down nearer to the horizon. Off in the distance, to the west side of their property near the fence, the cattle and horses grazed peacefully in a large herd. It was a beautiful sight to see from their wrap-around porch.

Movement off to the east by the barn caught their attention, and they turned and spotted Eli and his fellow ranch hands saddling up their horses by the hitching posts. Surprised, Jack and Maddie made their way over.

“Headin’ out already?” Maddie asked. “Ya’ll can stay for supper, ya know.”

Eli shook his head and answered, “No, ma’am. We’s got ta head back ta Bonnie’s. Besides, I reckon you ‘n’ ya husband wanna spend some time alone together.” He flashed her and Jack a suggestive smirk and winked at them. “By the way, when ya’ll gon’ have chil’ren? Ya got a mighty big house that’s sittin’ there all empty ‘n’ such.”

Jack was about to shoot back an angry retort, but his wife surprised him by touching his shoulder and giving him a look, hinting that he hold his tongue. She instead spoke for the both of them, and not in the tone he thought she would. With a flush to her cheeks and an embarrassed, hushed tone, she uttered, “We’ll see what the future holds, Mister Jones.”

Jack was too surprised to speak on his own part that he failed to listen to the rest of the conversation that the men and his wife were holding—all he could do was stare bewildered at Maddie.

As Eli, Johnny, Martin, and Bill mounted up and gathered the reins in their hands, Maddie glanced over at Jack and nudged his ribs to get his attention. “You okay?” she whispered.

He nodded and stammered back, “Y-yeah… Just tired is all.”

She frowned, not convinced, but she didn’t comment further as she turned and look back at the men who were ready to depart. She smiled graciously up at them all. “You boys have a safe trip home. Give Bonnie our deepest thanks, and tell her we’ll visit as soon as we’re well rested.”

Eli smiled with satisfaction. “That’s good ta hear, Missus Mawston. Bonnie’s been missin’ both of ya. She’d appreciate you two stoppin’ by, ya know.”

Maddie nodded. “We’ll stop by as soon as we can, Eli. I promise. We just gotta get rested up and relax for a bit before we visit.”

The Negro smirked and bowed his head. “Sounds like a mighty fine plan, Missus Mawston.” He tipped his hat to her and Jack before turning his bay towards the road. “You two take care of yaselves, ya hear?”

“We will, Eli. You do the same.”

With a parting smile, Eli and his fellow ranch hands kicked their horses into a canter down the road. They stopped to let themselves out of the fence that surrounded the property, and with one last wave of farewell, they continued down the road and disappeared over the hill in a cloud of dust.

 

*             *             *

 

It took no more than a week for Jack to be back to his usual, busy self. He took to the tranquility of repetition on the ranch with gusto, happy to be back at home and taking care of the livestock. He drove the cattle out to pasture every morning and herded them back in at dusk; he continued to work with Cloud, who was proving to be a fine cow horse with incredible speed and stamina; he got back into the habit of writing in the evenings on the porch, a cigarette in one hand and a pen in the other as he wrote. He was practically overjoyed to get up early in the mornings, drink his coffee, and head outside to do chores and whatever else the ranch needed.

Maddie, on the other hand, took to taking it easy—her wound was still very tender and caused her a great deal of pain whenever she tried testing her limits, which she found was housework. Her injury kept her from venturing out and helping Jack with the horses and cattle, and while she yearned to saddle up and ride alongside her husband to drive the herd back and forth from the pasture to the ranch, she realized she wouldn’t have been much help, anyways. So she did what she could around the house; whenever cleaning or cooking proved to be too much for her, she would take to lying in bed for a long while and read a book to pass the time until her wound stopped throbbing.

While she was more than happy to be back home, a part of her ached for the open spaces she once roamed in her younger years. She pined for the days of riding Gypsy across the unknown, wild territory; she sighed as she recalled her adventures of bounty hunting. In the evening, while she readied supper, she would stare out the kitchen window and become lost in her fantasies of saddling up Gypsy and riding out to wherever fate felt like taking her. But the second she decided to follow the temptation, her wound would remind her that she was not yet ready for the call of her desires. So she remained the troubled housewife for the time being. When she could stomach it no longer, she brought up her yearnings one night during supper.

Jack immediately knew something was amiss the second she sighed and set her silverware and napkin down. In the middle of chewing a piece of the delicious steak his wife had made, he looked up from his plate and eyed her with concern. “Somethin’ wrong, darlin’?” he asked after he swallowed the meat.

She looked him fearlessly in the eyes and said, “We gotta talk.”

Jack’s heart sank at the dreaded words he always hated to hear. Though she didn’t speak those words often, it was still an egregious task to converse with her, even though she was the one who usually did all the talking. Nevertheless, he set his silverware down as well, rested his elbows on the edge of the table, and clasped his hands together expectedly.

“I’m listenin’.”

“I want to ride to Blackwater tomorrow, if that’s all right with you, Jack.”

He blinked, totally thrown off guard. “What for?”

She hesitated to answer. “To… To talk to Archer.”

He frowned deeply and exhaled through his nose.

“I know that you met with him after we got back to let him know that _La Phantasma_ was taken care of, but I want to speak to him as well.”

“Madeline, I already briefed him on how it all went down. There’s no need for the both of us to tell him the same thing.”

“But I need to speak with him about…”

Jack blinked. “About what, Maddie?”

“…About the job proposal he offered me a while back ago.”

The silence dragged on between them for what seemed like minutes.

“Darlin’, you promised me.”

“I know, Jack. I know.”

He smirked knowingly. “But you still wanna go out and hunt bounties, don’t you?”

She shook her head. “No. No, I’m done with that. Like you said, I promised you I would quit that business, and I have, Jack. Truly, I have. But there’s just something…missing.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” His eyes widened as he came to a scary realization. “Oh! So… So you’re sayin’ you wanna…,” he swallowed dryly, “…have kids?”

It took her a long while to reply. “That would depend on whether or not you decide to let me take up on Archer’s offer.”

He stared at her speechless.

Maddie stared back, not knowing what else to say and waiting for her husband to reply. She blinked twice before asking, “So do I have your permission to ride to town, or do you want me to stay at home? It’s your call, Jack.”

He leaned back in his chair and blinked in rapid succession. He shook his head, and with a furrowed brow, finally uttered, “Maddie…why are you puttin’ this all on me? It’s your decision, too, ya know.”

She shrugged. “I just figured you would be the one to make the best decision. I didn’t wanna pull off another reckless stunt without talking to you first.”

Jack scoffed and ran a hand over his face. He sighed heavily as he stared down at the table and sat thinking in silence. “While I do appreciate you comin’ and talkin’ to me first,” he said softly, “I just don’t feel like I should be making the decision for you. When we got married, we agreed to not have the other in a binding situation, and that’s exactly what’s goin’ on right now.” He looked up into her brown eyes. “Maddie, it just feels wrong for me to be callin’ the shots and orderin’ you around. You’re my wife, not my slave.” He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. After a few seconds of deliberation, he finalized, “I’m okay with you stayin’ at home, and I’m also okay with you goin’ to talk to Archer. Darlin’, I know you—you don’t wanna be cooped up here like a housewife. I know you still want to do more than ranch. Honey, if you want to go and talk to Archer, then go. If you wanna stay here and start a family with me, then stay. I’m fine with it either way.”

Maddie’s jaw dropped open. “You’re serious?”

He met gazes with her and nodded. “Of course. Just so long as you’re not out bounty hunting, I’m okay with your decision, darlin’.”

She smiled gratefully at him.

“Just promise me one thing, though.”

“Anything, Jack.”

“Promise me you won’t go lookin’ for trouble if you decide to take the job. I don’t want you purposely goin’ around town trying to find danger.”

“I promise,” she chortled.

 

*             *             *

               

That evening, after supper was finished and the dishes cleaned, Maddie sat outside on the porch watching the day end in silent contemplation. As the sun began to disappear below the horizon and the world began to darken with the oncoming night, she sat in her rocking chair wrestling with her thoughts. She was about to make one of the biggest decisions of her life…

She frowned as she looked to the horizon, where Blackwater lay just beyond her sight. _So what happens now?_ she thought to herself. _What am I to do now? Do I take Archer’s offer?_ The idea of becoming a female police officer made her heart flutter with excitement; it would be a fine job, a wonderful match for her set of skills. Her frown deepened as her hand came to rest on her stomach. _Or do I stay at home?_

She flinched out of her reverie as the sound of heavy boots upon the wooden porch floor approached. She smirked up at her husband as he came to sit beside her in his rocking chair that sat next to hers. The most adoring glint entered Jack’s eyes as he looked at her and gingerly took her hand in his. As he wove his fingers with hers, he leaned in for a soft kiss.

Maddie smiled at him and lifted a hand to caress his scraggly beard—day by day, he looked more and more like his father. The twenty-three-year-old man she was married to looked stunningly handsome, even though his beard and mustache were unkempt and his clothes were dirty from doing chores earlier that evening. She didn’t see any of that, didn’t pay attention to the stains on his clothes or his father’s old dirty hat that adorned his head—she only saw her one and only love, her better half, sitting beside her, and that was all that mattered. She pulled his face closer to hers and kissed him.

After they leaned back in their chairs, they turned their heads to watch the setting sun sink and shower their ranch with a heavenly glow and a bedazzling watercolor-painted sky. Off in the distance, their cattle and horses grazed peacefully. The birds sang their last songs before the day ended and the crickets took over to continue the music of nature. At their feet, their dog Django obediently lay, looking up at them with a happy expression and his tongue lolling out past his teeth. All was as it should be at the Marston ranch…

Maddie grinned as she glanced back at her husband, who was lighting up a cigarette and taking a few drags off it. He must’ve sensed her eyes upon him, for he turned his head and met gazes with her as he let the smoke come billowing out of his mouth afterwards. She squeezed his hand lovingly; he did the same.

 _Come what may_ , Maddie thought. _Whatever the future brings, come what may._

 


End file.
